


L'homme Vaudou

by Theatregirl7299



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Angst, Blood Magic, Knife Play, M/M, Missing Persons, Ritual Magic, Ritual Sex, Show level violence, Voodoo, black magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:48:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 31,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theatregirl7299/pseuds/Theatregirl7299
Summary: Jensen's sister Mackenzie is missing in New Orleans. Jensen, a private investigator, flies down from New York City hoping to join forces with Jeff Morgan, Mackenzie's boss and an old family friend. When Jeff goes missing as well, Jensen realizes he's faced with a city full of mystique and magic. Jared, a professor in Jeff's department, volunteers to help steer Jensen through this seductive web of Loas and voudou. Except Jensen finds that Jared may not be all that he appears.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Comments: 17
Kudos: 151
Collections: 2020 Supernatural Reversebang Challenge





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firesign10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firesign10/gifts), [AomaSade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AomaSade/gifts).



> First of all, my thanks go out to my Artist [AomaSade NAME](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AomaSade)for the inspiring work that I got to create around. Her initial art inspired me past what I thought was possible, then she came back and floored me with so much more! Go check it out at the links below.
> 
> Second – my Alpha Reader, Merenwen76, who cheered me on and let me know things were making sense from the reader's point of view.
> 
> Finally, my godsend and Beta, [firesign10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firesign10). This story is as much hers as it is mine. She took an author who hadn’t written anything significant for 4 years and whipped them into shape. I could not have done this without you. Your cheerleading, brainstorming and midwifery helped birth this wonderful story. Thank you so much!
> 
> Also - the magic in this story is a mix of Louisiana voodoo, Wicca and my creative mind. Which means, Kids - don't try this at home. Also, The Creole is Haitian since Google Translate doesn't have Louisiana Creole.

CHAPTER ONE  
“Hey Ackles! Get your ass over here!”

Jensen Ackles waved at the men who were playing basketball on one of the city courts. “What’s up, Mendoza?” He leaned on his cane as he waited for the other man to jog over to him. “How’s the family?”

“Good, good.” Carlos Mendoza bounced the basketball he was holding, then tossed it to the other players so they could continue their game. “The baby is growing like a weed. You need to come and visit. Sophia was asking about you.”

“Tell her I said hi.” Jensen recalled Mendoza’s wife, Sophia; always smiling and ready with a cup of coffee whenever they’d been working late at the precinct. 

“How’ve you been?” Mendoza asked, clapping Jensen on the shoulder. “Retirement looks good on you. You don’t have that indoor tan like you used to have.”

Jensen chuckled, thinking of all the years he’d spent under the fluorescent lights of the squad room. “It’s been good, I guess. The private investigation business has picked up, which is good for my wallet’”

“Glad to hear.” Mendoza wiped his face with a small towel he had tucked into his shorts. “When are you gonna stop by the precinct? The guys miss you.”

“I don’t know…kind of busy. Work and all.” Jensen rubbed the back of his neck, feeling bad for yet another declination. That was his excuse for most of the invitations from his old partner. Ever since he’d been shot and had to take early retirement, Jensen felt uncomfortable with his old coworkers. Their sympathies felt like pity, and there was no way Jensen was going to subject himself to that. It was bad enough that his friends and the therapist that he was required to go see had that look. He didn’t need it from his former buddies. Besides, with his private investigation business he was starting a new chapter of his life.

When he’d retired, his sister, Mackenzie, kept nagging him to move down to New Orleans where she was attending grad school. She wanted him to be closer to her. He remembered their last phone call.

_”C’mon, Jensen, please?” Mackenzie’s voice pleaded over the phone. “You’ll love living here. New Orleans is awesome.”_

_“I don’t know, Mac,” he’d replied. “I know New York. We grew up here. I like the tempo.” He’d sighed. “I guess I’m just comfortable. Moving to a new city and trying to establish a business all at once…not sure it’s for me.”_

_“You can do it. Jeff knows practically everyone in the city. He can open some doors for you. It won’t be hard for you to get a good business going. I can feel it.” He’d heard her laughing over the phone. “Plus, I’m here and so is Jeff. Please consider it?” She’d asked in a tone she knew Jensen couldn’t refuse._

_“Damn it, Mac, don’t do that.” Jensen had chuckled, picturing her batting her eyelashes at him like she did when she was younger and wanted him to do something for her. The thought of living close to her and Jeff really wasn’t a bad idea, to be honest. Jeff had known their parents and had been a good friend of their father. Jensen and Mackenzie had grown up with his visits and it was his stories about New Orleans that made Mackenzie decide to go to Tulane in the first place. Jensen had felt comfortable with her going because Jeff agreed to be Mackenzie’s faculty advisor so he’d be keeping an eye on her. She’d been thrilled when Jeff had pulled strings to not only get her into the program, but then given her the coveted role as one of his teaching assistants--a position that was hotly fought over by all the graduate students in the department._

_If he moved down to the Crescent City, Jensen could see Mac more often and hang out with Jeff. And who knows, maybe he’d be able to meet someone as well. It after all,_ had _been a while since he’d been in any sort of relationship, temporary or otherwise._

_“Please, Jen?” Mac had wheedled. “At least think about it.”_

_“Ok, ok, I’ll think about it.” He’d laughed. “But no promises. Tell you what. Let me wrap this case up and I’ll fly down to visit tp test the waters and see what the opportunities are.”_

_He’d pulled the phone away from his ear as she had squealed in happiness, wanting to preserve his eardrums. “Look, I gotta go. We’ll talk soon. Love you.” He’d hung up with a smile, wondering what it would be like to actually live in New Orleans._

“Ackles! You listening?” Mendoza knocked his arm. “I’ve been nagging at you for at least a minute.”

“Sorry, sorry. Just thinking.” Jensen grinned sheepishly.

“What’s so important that you didn’t hear me offer my Abuela’s cooking as an incentive to come visit?” Mendoza grinned back. “She’ll make those enchiladas you like. The ones with the special enchilada sauce.”

“Thinking about picking up stakes and moving down to New Orleans to be near Mac, actually,” Jensen confessed. “She’s been begging me to come down for a while.”

“Hell, son, that’s the best idea you’ve had since we raided the Chief’s stash of homemade moonshine in the back file cabinet.” Mendoza smacked his arm again. “You should go for it.”

Jensen was surprised at Mendoza’s opinion. “Seriously? You think so?”

Mendoza looked him straight in the eye. “Jensen, ever since you got shot on the job and they made you retire, you haven’t been happy. We all could tell. Even being a PI hasn’t been cutting it. You need to get out of New York and go somewhere that doesn’t have all the memories of being a cop in the Big Apple.” He smiled again. “So why not New Orleans? It’s a great city. Mac is there, and you’ve always said you liked it down there when you’ve gone to visit her. It’s not like you can’t set up a practice down there. It’s got crime same as here. Just with a Cajun flavor.” 

Jensen threw back his head and laughed. “You know, you’re right. There’s nothing really left here. Mac’s there, my parents are gone. So I guess there’s nothing keeping me here.”

“Now that we’ve settled your midlife crisis, you’re coming over to the house for dinner tonight and you can tell my Abuela your plans, so she can feed you. She may even break out the good tequila.” Carlos laughed at Jensen’s expression of happiness. 

“Ahh, _I_ see. You just want me for your Abuela’s stash.” Jensen fell in step with Mendoza as they headed towards his brownstone.

“Damn right. Now let’s go eat.” 

Jensen couldn’t think of anything better to do.

“Sabine, got a moment?” Jeffrey Dean Morgan buzzed his assistant. He leaned back as he waited for Sabine to enter his office. Taking off his reading glasses, he tossed them on his desk and rubbed his eyes. This last batch of essays from his undergrad Intro to Anthropology class was about to give him an aneurysm. He’d tried to get them done over the weekend, but it was too painful to read their pitiful attempts at research. He mentally cursed Wikipedia and Google for killing the concept of actual research.

Looking at the papers spread across his desk, and had to chuckle. His colleagues gave him hell about him grading his own assignments; that’s what they had teaching assistants for. They all took advantage of their teaching assistants to do all the scut work that was prevalent in the hallowed halls of academia. Jeffrey felt that if he didn’t grade at least a third of his assignments himself, he wouldn’t get a feel for his students. But this semester’s undergrad class was making him rethink that option. They just didn’t seem to be understanding the material. Sighing, he closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on.

“That bad, huh?” Sabine came in and perched on one of the chairs by the leaded glass window. Her black hair was swept up in a neat bun and the red suit she was wearing complimented her dark skin. Jeff chuckled, she always seemed to know when he was grading the Intro class papers.

Jeff didn’t open his eyes. “You have no idea. I’m half tempted to fail them all just on this one assignment.”

Sabine chuckled. “Why don’t you?”

He stretched to loosen the knot in his shoulder. “Because there are a few who actually did a decent job and need the grade.”

“You could always reassign the project and spell the ones who passed to think they’re turning it in for the first time…” She replied cheekily.

Jeff cracked an eye open and glared at her. “Sabine…” he chided. 

“Kidding.” She grinned at him. “But wouldn’t it be great if you could really do that?”

“It would be tempting,” he replied back with a small smile, finishing their little byplay.

“Yup.” She flipped the top page of the notebook she had brought in. “So what did you need me for?”

Jeff sat up and put his reading glasses on. “I need to clear a bit of space on my calendar. Can we rearrange some meetings?”

“Sure. What are you looking to move?” Sabine juggled the notepad and Jeff’s paper calendar. 

“I need about two hours carved out on Thursday afternoon and everything moved on Friday before lunch.”

“Let’s see what we can do.” Jeff watched as she looked over those two days and made notes. “Okay, you have a TA meeting on Thursday, but I can cancel that. You know they’ll be thrilled.”

Laughing, Jeff nodded. “Yeah, they love me, just not during meetings. What about Friday?”

“Status meetings with David Osborne and Morgan Kemp. Oh, and Mackenzie Ackles.” She met his eyes with some concern. “I can email them to reschedule.”

“Do that with David and Morgan — Mackenzie missed last week’s meeting and I haven’t had a chance to call her, so I’ll take care of that.”

He smiled at the thought of the blonde haired girl and Jensen her brother. It had been a while since he’d heard from Jensen as well, and he made a mental note to call or text him this evening.

“Perfect. I’ll send out the changes.” She stood and headed to the door. Jeff followed her out and leaned on the wall as she sat in front of her computer.

“Great, finish that and let’s sneak out of here and get a drink at Sazerac’s. Lisa promised me gumbo tonight,” Jeff said, grabbing his leather coat and biker’s gloves.

“Ohh, yummy. I’ll call the hubs and have him meet us. Maybe he’ll let you try and beat him at pool again.” She quickly sent out the emails, closed down her compute, and gathered up her purse and coat.

“Hey now,” Jeff said, shrugging into his coat. “That was a fluke, him beating me.”

“Uh huh.” Sabine eyed him. “Fluke?”

“Fine. He wiped the table with me. I suck at pool.” Jeff let Sabine go in front of him and locked the office door behind them.

“That you do, professor. That you do.”

“I’m wounded.” Jeff put his hand to his chest. “Just for that you get to buy the first round.”

Her laughter echoed down the hall as they headed out of the building.

Jensen unlocked the door to his apartment, tossing his keys into the green ceramic bowl by the door as he entered. Taking his jacket off, he hung it up on the antique coat bench in the corner and kicked his shoes off. He padded to the kitchen and rummaged for one of the craft beers he kept stocked in his refrigerator, popped the top off and took a swig,

Dinner at Mendoza’s house had actually been pleasant, he thought as he sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote. Carlos was so proud to show off his daughter Isabella’s wobbly step, and of course the food had been amazing. Sophia’s enchiladas were out of this world and Jensen stuffed himself. Jensen smiled as he recalled Carlos’ Abuela hugging him and then smacking his arm as she scolded him for being a stranger to their house. 

After dinner, they’d settled in the living room and sipped the tequila that was promised while Jensen and Carlos swapped stories and caught up. By the time it was time to go, Jensen was slightly tipsy, so an Uber was in order.

He probably shouldn’t have opened the beer, but listening to Carlos talk about what was going on at the precinct made him miss being a cop.The stories about catching the perps, the camaraderie; hell, he even missed the bad coffie. Jensen sighed, knowing that there was no way he’d ever be able to be back on the street patrol, or even detective work. He could ride a desk--he’d been offered that after he got out of the hospital – but that was like telling a racehorse he had to pull a cart. He’d wither away if he had accepted it.

Finding a replay of the Yankees game on ESPN, Jensen turned the volume down and decided to call Jeff. Jensen looked at the clock, and while it was late, he knew that Jess was more of a night owl. As he listened to the phone ring, Jensen mused again over Mackenzie’s request for her to move to New Orleans.

The key would be to find clients as soon as possible and get his private investigation business off the ground. Jensen had substantial savings; being single and not much of a wild spender, the only money he really expended was for Mac’s education. It would give him a cushion to live on for a bit while he built up the business. So, an office location, advertising, and a place to live would be first on the agenda. His motorcycle would do for regular transportation, but he might eventually need a car.

His thoughts were interrupted when Jeff answered the phone. ”Jensen… How are you, brother?” Jeff sounded pleased to hear from him. 

“Pretty good. Just got home from dinner.” Jensen couldn’t help but smile at Jeff’s tone. He took a sip of beer. “Having a beer and chilling. How about you?”

“Good good. Just got home from dinner myself. Had a big bowl of Lisa’s gumbo.” Jeff chuckled. “Excellent as always.”

“Don’t tease me, asshole.” Jensen said with mock annoyance. “You know how much I like her food.”

“Sorry.” Jeff replied, but by the snark in his voice Jensen could tell he was not sorry at all.

“It’s ok. I had the best enchiladas this side of Mexico.” Jensen put his feet up on his coffee table. “So what’s going on down in N”Awlins? You keeping my baby sister out of trouble?”

“ _As much as she’ll let me.”_ Jensen heard the rustling of papers. “ _You know, the usual. Pulling my hair out grading essays, trying to figure why my students think they can pass off Wikipedia as a real resource when they turn in their papers. That sort of thing. What about you? How’s the Big Apple?”_

“Frankly kind of boring,” Jensen confessed. “Work is ok, but not as fun as being a cop. I’ve spent the last two weeks looking for missing heirs which is not as exciting as it might sound.”

“Sounds like you need a change of venue.” Jeff said.

“Funny you should mention that,” Jensen replied. “Mac has been trying to convince me to move down there, and I’m seriously thinking about taking her up on it.”

“Well it’s about time, son!” Jeff’s voice was gleeful. “She and I have been talking about now to get your ass down here permanently.” 

Jensen laughed. “Good to know you two are conspiring against me.”

“Not against you – for you.” Jensen heard Jeff chuckle. “What do you need from me?”

“Not sure yet,” Jensen said. “I need to check out the competition and look at the prices of real estate for business and living. Oh yeah, licensing and stuff like that.”

“Well, son. That’s what teaching assistants are for.” Jeff replied with a pseudo evil chuckle. “You send me a list of stuff and I’ll get them started on it.”

“Um…isn’t that taking advantage?” Jensen asked.

“Hell no! It’s one of the perks of having TAs.” Jeff replied with another laugh. “They’ll be happy they don’t need to get my dry cleaning!”

“Jesus, Jeff, you send them to pick up your dry cleaning?” Jensen asked.

Jeff replied “I’ll never tell.” Jensen heard Jeff’s phone beep. “Listen, I gotta go take this call. Send me that info and let me know when you’re headed down this way. Later, dude.”

“Later.” Jensen smiled as he hung up. He was grateful to have a friend like Jeff. He was happy that Jeff was there to keep an eye on Mackenzie. Finishing his beer, he decided to give her a call. He threw the empty bottle in the recycle bin as he heard her message kick in.

_You’ve reached Mackenzie Ackles. I can’t come to the phone right now so leave a message after the beep. Oh and if this is Jensen, I’m at the library, not out partying, I swear. Muahahahah!_

He chuckled as he waited for the beep to sound. “Hey Mac, it’s me. When you get home from the ‘library’,” he emphasized the word, “give me a call. Thinking of heading down there for a bit and want to know your schedule. Love you, sis.”

Jensen began shutting down his apartment for the night; turning off lights and making sure the door and windows were locked tight. He was actually getting excited at the possibility of relocating to New Orleans. Maybe it _was_ time to make a move.

Mackenzie woke up in darkness. The room was cold and damp and she could smell what seemed to be mold. Confused and dizzy, her head pounding, she reached out to feel for a lamp and found she was on the floor, what felt like a bare mattress under her. Shivering, she realized she was naked.

“Hello?” Her throat was dry and her voice was scratchy. “Hello?” There was no answer. “Is there anyone there?”

Slowly she groped around the area where the mattress was and her hand touched something solid. She pulled it to her, running her hands over it to determine it was a small camping lantern. Finding the switch, she turned it on, it’s low glow barely casting any illumination in the pitch dark. Holding the lantern up, she inspected the room, if it could be called that. Her closet in her apartment was bigger. Dark grey painted walls, a deep brown wood floor – nothing that gave any indication as to where she was. The only things she found in the space was a threadbare plaid blanket, a cardboard liquor box, and a five gallon plastic bucket. 

Wrapping the blanket around herself, Mackenzie crawled over to the box. Opening it, she found bottles of water and some food; mostly granola bars, trail mix and dried fruit. Nothing that could spoil. Grabbing the bucket, she checked inside to find several rolls of cheap toilet paper. 

“Great,” she muttered, shoving it away from her. “At least I have a bathroom.”

She rummaged back in the box and took out a granola bar and a bottle of water. She was thirsty and slightly hungry, but mostly cold. Scooting back onto the mattress, she checked to see that the granola bar wrapper and the bottle of water hadn’t been tampered with. She didn’t want to eat it if by chance it had been drugged. She opened the bottle, ripped off the wrapper, took a bite and a sip. As she ate, she tried to determine how she had wound up here.

She had no idea what time it was because she usually checked her cell phone for that and of course it was missing. The last thing she remembered was going out for drinks with some of the professors and teaching assistants from the Anthropology department. They had gone to Sazerac’s, the usual department hangout. Mackenzie liked because the atmosphere was cozy--lots of overstuffed furniture and table groupings if you didn't want to sit at the bar--and the drinks were reasonable. 

Mike, one of the TAs, and Professor Padalecki had decided that a game of Truth or Dare with vodka shots was a good idea, and before long they’d all been pretty tipsy. Professor Padalecki – he told her to call him Jared – had kept flirting with her and even bought her a Sazerac, the official drink of New Orleans made with Absinthe, rye whiskey and cognac. He claimed that she wasn’t a true native of New Orleans until she’d had one. It was delicious and she downed it pretty quickly. Which led to another and then a trip to the bathroom. 

_Shit._. She remembered now asking her friend Angie to watch her drink, but when she’d returned to the table, Angie had been off dancing with Scott and her drink had been unattended. Mackenzie had been too tipsy to even consider getting a new drink so she drank the one in front of her.

Mackenzie rubbed her temples, trying to ease her headache and remember what had happened next. She thought she’d had another drink afer all, but she couldn’t be sure. The images popping up were blurry and confusing. Lots of laughter, maybe some singing, and Jared sitting really close to her. It felt cosy and she could remember drifting off for a moment. Trying to remember was making her head hurt even more, and she drank some more water, hoping it would ease the ache. She recalled feeling nauseous, then there’d been a car ride. Did she arrive at her apartment?.. There was the rumble of a deep voice soothing her and a set of familiar eyes--hazel, she thought--looking into hers. Familiar like she should know who they belonged to, then...nothing. 

_Oh God…_ she realized. _Jared had hazel eyes._

 _Could_ Jared _have abducted her?_. But that felt wrong. Mackenzie dismissed that thought immediately. There was no way that Jared could have done that. He was too sweet. Everything she knew about him, of him ruled that out. She kept fishing through the unfocused images from earlier. A clear picture of Jared looming over her as she lay on her couch burst into her vision. She gasped in horror. Was it possible it really was him after all? 

Mackenzie scrambled to her feet and began searching for a door or some other kind of opening. Pounding on the walls, he screamed, “Jared! Let me out, you fucker! Come on, you son of a bitch” Her fists became bruised and bloody on the rough wood of the door, her voice hoarse as she screamed, and she sank to the floor and started to cry. 

Her stomach started to ache as she began to panic. Curling up under the blanket, she felt hopeless. Everyone was going to be looking for her. Jensen would be out of his mind with worry. She wished she’d had one more chance to talk to him. She started to cry harder and soon fell into unconsciousness from exhaustion.

_You’ve reached Mackenzie Ackles. I can’t come to the phone right now so leave a message after the beep. Oh and if this is Jensen, I’m at the library, not out partying, I swear. Muahahahah!_

Jensen thumbed the phone off in frustration as he let himself into his apartment. He’d been calling Mackenzie repeatedly for the last day and a half without success and he was getting worried. One thing he could count on was their keeping in touch with one another. Especially since their parents had passed away and they only had each other. Something wasn’t right.

Kicking off his shoes and hanging up his jacket, he called her again, waited for the beep, and left another message. “Mac, this is ridiculous. Call me.”

He headed to the kitchen and took a pizza out of the fridge and turned the oven on to warm up. Grabbing a beer, he pulled up the location app for Mackenzie’s phone, cursing when he saw that it was turned off. “Damn it, Mac.” He dashed off a swift text-- _CALL ME!_. 

Maybe she’d met a guy? Possible, but that wouldn’t cause her to turn off her location, he mused. They’d agreed not to do that so that they could keep track of each other. Ever since their parents had died it was an unspoken agreement.

The oven dinged and he unwrapped the pizza and put it in, setting the timer. Taking a swig of his beer, he dialed Jeff’s number.

Waiting for the phone to connect, Jensen sat down at the kitchen table and flipped through the day’s mail. Most of it was bills and advertisements for the local car dealerships. He tossed it into his recycling tub. 

_”Hey there. I feel special. Two calls in two days.”_ Jensen heard the smile in Jeff’s voice. _“How’d I get so lucky?”_

“Luck has nothing to do with it.” Jensen said. “I’m actually looking for Mac. She’s not answering her phone or texts. Have you talked to her lately?”

 _”No, and, come to think of it, she missed her TA class. Hang on…_. Jeff trailed off and Jensen could hear him shuffling papers. _”I just looked through my messages and she hasn’t called.”_

“Damn it.” Jensen cursed, finishing his beer. 

_”Any chance she met up with someone and is out of cell range?”_ Jeff asked. _”I can ask around to see if she’s taken an interest in anyone. Or vice versa.”_

“That would be great.” Jensen blew a sigh of relief. At least Jeff was down there and could check on Mac for him. “I’d really appreciate it. Let me know what you find out.”

 _”Will do.”_ Jeff paused. _”I’m sure she’s fine, Jensen. Maybe she just lost her phone or something.”_

“I hope so. Thanks Jeff.” Jensen hung up and ran his hands through his hair. _Calm down. She’s fine. Probably lost her phone like Jeff said._. He had to chuckle. It wouldn’t have been the first time. In high school, Mackenzie went through phones like other people went through paper towels. She either lost them or broke them or – in one infamous event – managed to flush one down the toilet. How she managed that one he still couldn’t figure out. 

The pizza timer dinged, shaking him from his thoughts. Grabbing a potholder, he took the pizza out of the oven, cut it and put several pieces on a plate. He opened the fridge and took out another beer and headed to the living room to eat his dinner and watch the latest baseball game.

Chasing after the missing heirs took up the next several days. Between that and a busted pipe in his apartment, Jensen was only able to leave quick messages for Jeff and Mackenzie. He was getting increasingly worriedabout both of them.

Once Mr. Peterson, the Super, left after fixing the plumbing, Jensen tried to call them both again, but again he only got voice mails for what felt like the thousandth time.

Jensen made himself take a breath when the delivery guy from the deli around the corner brought his turkey and cheese on rye with chips, a pickle and green tea. Firing up his computer he checked his emails, hoping that Mackenzie sent him a message, but there was nothing. Jensen quickly cleared out his inbox, returning the most important emails and saving the ones that could wait until later.

Right before he was about to close out of Outlook, an email popped up from the local news outlet from New Orleans that he followed. He caught his breath, paling as he read the headline.

**University Professor Missing. Police Suspect Foul Play**

There was a picture of Jeff’s smiling face. “What the…”. Jensen clicked on the link and quickly read the story.

_Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Professor of Anthropology at Tulane University, is feared missing after he failed to show up for scheduled classes yesterday. Law Enforcement Officials have determined that there was a break-in at his place of residence, but Professor Morgan was not found. This is an ongoing investigation. If anyone has any information leading to the whereabouts of Professor Morgan, please contact our tip hotline at (504) 555-1232._

Jensen sat back in shock. Jeff missing, Mackenzie not answering his calls – something really was going on and it didn’t look good. He called up his saved travel tab to see the earliest flights to New Orleans. The next available flight was out of LaGuardia, but only had first class. He booked a one way ticket then headed quickly to his bedroom to pack a bag.

Shoving the essentials into a duffel bag, Jensen unloaded his Colt, put it in a travel lockbox and placed it on top of his clothes. After calling a cab, he set his outgoing message to indicate a family emergency and texted his housekeeper to come Friday instead of Wednesday.

Grabbing his cane, He locked up his apartment and headed downstairs to wait for his cab. He’d wanted to go to New Orleans to see what it would take to start a new chapter in his life, but this was not the way he’d envisioned it. He took a deep breath and quickly crossed himself, hoping he wasn’t too late.


	2. Chapter 2

Back to [Chapter 1]()

The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was crowded with tourists excited to see the Big Easy. Jensen had to wait for about 20 minutes for a cab to become available. Usually he would have been picked up by Mac or Jeff-- this time, he was on his own in a city he wasn’t that familiar with. Jensen was glad he’d flown first class after all. There was a baby in Economy that wouldn’t stop crying and he was happy he could only hear it faintly. He was too worried about Jeff and Mackenzie to put up with that. 

He gave the cabbie Mackenzie’s address, sat back and scrolled through his phone. There were no updates on Jeff’s disappearance. Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried to will away the headache that was starting to throb in his temple.

The traffic was thick; – it was rush hour, and even with the slow nature of the city the roads were still congested. Mackenzie’s apartment was near Tulane; they’d picked it because it was within walking distance of the campus. Jensen smiled at the memory of the little blue Vespa they’d bought used for her to zoom around the city. 

Once they arrived, Jensen paid the driver, grabbed his bags and headed up to Mackenzie’s apartment. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, dreading what he might find, but the apartment looked normal. Nothing was out of place--everything looked ordinary as usual. The cheerful space was full of color; bold art prints on the walls, a red couch with yellow pillows and a patterned fleece throw scrunched up to one side.

“Mac? You here?” Jensen quickly went through the rooms, but the apartment was empty. He made another circuit, this time looking for items that might have been out of place. He noticed the throw blanket looked rumpled, like perhaps someone had used it to cover themselves up.

There were several pairs of shoes piled up near the door, but Jensen couldn’t tell if they’d been worn recently or not. A black leather purse lay on the coffee table that Jensen remembered buying Mac for her birthday last year. Next to it was a glass of water and a bottle of Advil. He grabbed some paper towels from the kitchen and carefully opened the purse. Mackenzie’s wallet with her ID and money were inside along with a small planner. Jensen flipped through the pages but saw nothing out of the ordinary; her class schedule, teaching assistant schedule, and meetings with Jeff were penciled in neatly on the specific dates.

Jensen quickly dialed Mackenzie’s phone number yet again, hoping to hear he finally pick up, but it went to voicemail without him hearing the phone ring in her apartment. So wherever she was, her phone was most likely with her. As a last resort, he skimmed through her mail, using a pen he found to flip through it. Nothing new since the day he first hadn’t heard from her.

Time to make it official. He was going to have to file a missing person’s report. With a ball of anxiety in his stomach, Jensen looked up the address for the 2nd District Police Department. 

Jensen left the apartment, calling a cab on his way down the elevator. A short wait had him standing outside as the cab pulled up to the curb. “New Orleans Police, 2nd District please,” he told the driver, shoving his duffel across the back seat.

Fifteen minutes later he walked through the glass doors of the precinct. The desk clerk, an older woman with her grey hair pulled back in a low pony tail, smiled as he approached. “Good afternoon, how can I help you?”

“Jensen Ackles, private investigator out of New York City.” Impressed by her politeness, he showed her his ID and license. “I need to report a missing person.”

“One moment, sir.” She quickly made a call. “Detective Williams will see you. The bullpen is back that way to your left.” She pointed down the hall. “He’s the third desk down.”

Jensen headed down the hallway, enjoying the sounds of activity throughout the station. It wasn’t New York, but the energy and the sounds of a police station anywhere were the same. It soothed him in a reassuring way.

Detective Williams was on the phone when Jensen entered the bullpen. Williams was a strongly built dark skinned man with hair graying at his temples. As Jense n approached his desk, Williams waved Jensen over to a seat as he finished his conversation. “No, Auntie, I’m not gonna tell you who vandalized the playground so you can put a spell on them! Let us do our work, okay? I have to earn my paycheck somehow.” Williams rolled his eyes and grinned at Jensen. “Yes I’ll be over for étouffé and Ceremony on Sunday. Love you too, Auntie.”

He hung up the phone and sighed. “Family. What can you do.”

Jensen chuckled as he sat down in the spare chair. “So your aunt wanted to know the name of a perp so she could cast a spell?”

“Yup.” Williams took a sip of the coffee he had on his desk, grimaced, and stood up, motioning for Jensen to follow him. “Some young punk tagged the local playground and my Auntie wanted to teach him a lesson.”

“So do you believe in that…what…voodoo stuff?” Jensen asked, following him to the little kitchenette. “What your Aunt was talking about?”

“Son, you are in N’Awlins.” Williams drew out a Cajun accent. “It’s like breathing. And I’ve seen some stuff happen that has no rational explanation. Plus, it can’t hurt to err on the side of the Loa – the spirits.” He spilled out his cold coffee and refreshed his cup. “Coffee?”

“Sure.” Jensen poured a mug, adding sugar and powdered creamer, anticipating the usual crappy brew that most precincts had. He took a sip, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality, the chicory flavor bursting on his tongue. “Hey, this is pretty good.”

“I know, right?” Williams chuckled and took a sip from his own mug. “We don’t get much in the way of perks, but the Captain makes sure we get the good coffee.” They sat back down at William’s desk. “So tell me what can I help you with?”

“My sister, Mackenzie Ackles, is missing.” Jensen explained the situation, filling in details as Detective Williams took notes. “I went to her apartment and looked around. The only indication she’d been there was her purse on the coffee table. No phone and no new mail since the day I first called and got her voicemail message. Don’t worry.” Jensen saw that Williams was about to speak up. “I didn’t touch anything bare handed. However, my prints are still on file with the New York Police Department if you need to rule me out.”

Williams nodded towards Jensen’s cane. “Retirement?”

Jednsen chuckled dryly. “Not my choice, but yeah.”

“Sucks. You get Detective?”

“Sure does.” Jensen puffed out a breath. “Got to 2nd grade. Still wanted to be out in the field. That’s how I got this.” He patted his leg. “Shattered the bone pretty good. I’ll walk without the cane eventually but no more active duty for me.”

Williams finished taking notes. “Okay, I’ve got everything I need to get started. Anything else you want to add?”

“Yeah. I just saw in the news the other day that one of our friends is missing now too. Professor Jeff Morgan, at Tulane.” Jensen replied. 

Williams sat back with a frown on his face. “You know Professor Morgan?”

“Yeah, Mac is one of his teaching assistants. I called him Monday to see if he could find out if Mackenzie was okay. Then I heard the news about his disappearance.”

“That puts a different spin on things,“ Williams replied. “Especially if they are linked.” He sighed. “Kurt Fuller is the lead on the Morgan case.”

“And why do I get the idea that that’s not a good thing,” Jensen commented wryly. 

“Because, in plain terms, Fuller is an asshole.” Williams snorted. “Let me call him and you can see for yourself.” He picked up the phone and a short time later Kurt Fuller appeared.

Jensen immediately disliked him. Fuller radiated the arrogance of someone who felt he had to overcompensate for being incompetent. His swagger, smarmy grin, and beady eyes turned Jensen’s stomach. Even his voice was pompous. 

“What can I do for you, Williams?” Fuller asked, looming over them. 

“Kurt, this is Jensen Ackles, former detective from the New York City PD. His sister is missing and she’s Jeffrey Morgan’s teaching assistant. Thought you two should meet.”

“Hmm….” Fuller trained his beady eyes on Jensen, looked at his cane, then looked away with a sniff. Jensen sensed the dismissal and it pissed him off. In retaliation, Jensen turned on the charm. 

He stood and offered his hand. “Glad to meet you, Detective. Williams tells me that you’re in charge of the Morgan case. Jeff’s a close friend and I’d like to be of assistance if I can.”

Fuller ignored his hand. “Thank you for your offer, but we’re good here.” Fuller’s reply was abrupt. “Detective Williams will keep you updated on your sister’s case.” Fuller looked at Williams with what only could be disgust, before turning and leaving them. 

“Well, that was pleasant. Not.” Jensen muttered.

“Yeah, see what I mean? Asshole,” Williams replied with a smirk. “I figured it couldn’t hurt to see if he’d be willing to share but as usual, no dice.” Williams sized Jensen up. “I’m assuming you’re going to ignore him and do some investigating on your own?”

“Who, me?” Jensen grinned with wide eyes. “I would never do that.”

“Uh huh,” Williams responded wryly. “Just be careful. You’re on his radar rt5and he’s a vindictive bastard.”

“Noted.” Jensen dug into his pocket and pulled out his key ring. Removing a key, he slid it over to Williams. “Here’s a spare key to Mackenzie’s apartment, since you’ll need to go take a look. I usually stay there when I’m in town, but since it might wind up being a crime scene I thought I’d get a hotel room.”

“You know where you’re staying yet?” Williams asked as he pocketed the key and wrote Jensen a receipt. 

“Nope. Been too busy to find a place yet.” Jensen folded the receipt and shoved it into his pocket. “I’ll call you once I get settled.”

“Here’s a list of decent hotels that’ll offer you a police discount.” Williams opened his desk drawer and handed Jensen a list. “Tell them I sent you and they’ll even throw in a packed lunch.”

“I appreciate it, Detective.” Jensen picked up his bags. “I’m gonna head over to the University first and ask around about Mac. I’ll call you when I check in and let you know if I find anything. On either case.” He winked at Williams and smiled when the other man laughed. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Same same.” Williams’ face became serious. “I hope we find your sister soon.”

“Me too,” Jensen sighed. “Me too.”

Twenty minutes and another cab ride later, Jensen stood outside of Jeff’s building. He always was impressed by the stone architecture and the leaded glass windows. He would tease Jeff that he worked at Hogwarts. He took a deep breath and entered the building, climbing the steps to get to Jeff’s office. There weren’t many people around in the hallway, and those that were passing by scuttled like they were afraid that something would jump out at them. Jensen assumed that it was the news of Jeff’s disappearance that was making everyone so edgy.

Jensen knocked lightly on the door, just as a courtesy, but expected no answer. He tried the knob and was pleased to find the door unlocked. He didn’t want to have to break out his lock picks. Placing his bags on a side chair, he looked around the room.

The space was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Jensen had spent many occasions in Jeff’s office when he’d been down visiting Mackenzie just shooting the breeze about work, Jeff’s classes, and various other miscellaneous topics. The paneled walls had always given the space a warm comfortable feeling. The clutter was just so Jeff; student essays, textbooks and folklore and ancient civilizations covered every flat surface, but Jensen would bet that Jeff knew where everything was. And, of course, there was the required New Orleans Saints jersey framed and mounted on the wall. 

Now, though, it felt stark and cold. Without Jeff’s presence, the room felt sterile. Jensen shivered and told himself it was just a chill, not someone walking over his grave.

He looked over Jeff’s desk and noticed that his day planner was missing. Jeff never went anywhere without that worn-out leather book. Jensen had always seen it in Jeff’s hands. He jokingly said he kept track of all the monsters – meaning his students and TAs – in it and he’d be lost if it ever disappeared. Jensen assumed that the police had taken it, since the room had obviously been searched at some point.

Sighing, he sat down in Jeff’s chair and pulled open the desk’s lower left drawer. Jeff had always told him that that was where he’d kept his TA files. Jensen retrieved Mackenzie’s and started to flip through it, hoping for some sort of lead as to where she might be. 

“Can I help you?” A deep, rich voice spoke. 

Jensen’s head flew up to find a gorgeous man standing in the doorway. Tall and built, just like Jensen liked them, with deep brown hair glinting in the sunlight streaming in through the windows. He was holding several books, and was dressed in a deep blue button down and black trousers. He was obviously not a student; he was too well-dressed for one. 

The newcomer’s eyes were narrowed in what Jensen surmised was suspicion. Jensen also noticed they were blue, no, brown, no wait, hazel. The stranger’s lips were thinned in displeasure at the moment, but they looked like they would be soft and inviting if he smiled. 

“Excuse me. I said, can I help you?” The voice was rough. but strong and firm.

“Sorry, sorry.” Jensen stood up and walked around Jeff’s desk. “I didn’t expect anyone to come in. I’m Jensen Ackles.” He smiled and held out a hand, hoping the stranger wouldn’t call security. “I’m Mackenzie Ackles’ brother.”

The newcomer relaxed and took Jensen’s hand to shake. “Jensen. Mac talks about you all the time. The cop, right? I’m Jared Padalecki, one of the professors here in the Anthropology department.”

“Private Investigator now. I retired from the force. Pleasure to meet you.” It certainly was. Jared was definitely nice to look at. Jensen felt the strong grip of Jared’s hand and a little spark when they touched. He wondered how that grip would feel on his -. Jensen shook himself. He didn’t need that right now.

“Are you here to see Jeff?” Jared put the books he was carrying down on the desk. “I assume you didn’t hear the news? Jeff’s missing.”

“I heard. That’s exactly why I’m here. Mackenzie is missing too. I called Jeff to see if he knew anything about it. Then I saw the news reports.”

“Mac’s missing too?” Jared sucked in a breath. “I just saw her the other day.” He sat down in one of the vacant chairs.

“When? When did you see her last?” Jensen knew he sounded demanding, but this was the first piece of new information he’d gotten since he started trying to find Mackenzie.

“I think it was Monday? We’d all gone out to Sazenac’s, a local bar that the department frequents. Mac had too much to drink so I made sure she got home safely.”

Jensen tensed. “Did you enter her apartment?”

“Yeah,” Jared replied. “I helped her lie down on her couch, put a throw blanket over her, and set a glass of water and a bottle of Advil on the coffee table.”

“Then what?” 

“Then I left.” Jared shrugged. “She crashed out as soon as she lay down. Not much else I could do.”

“Did you see her the next day?” Jensen questioned.

“No, Mac’s not in any of my classes and what with her being Jeff’s TA, I rarely get to see her.” Jared shook his head. “I can’t believe she’s missing too.”

“Can you give me a list of everyone who went out with you two that night? I’ve filed a missing person’s report with the police, but it would be very helpful if they could follow up on the names.” Jensen took out his phone and clicked on the Notes app.

“Sure.” Jared listed the names of everyone that was at the bar that night. “Does this mean I’m a suspect?”

“You were the last to see her so that always makes someone a person of interest.” Jensen finished writing. “I’m sure the police are going to want to talk to you and probably take your fingerprints, just to rule you out.”

“Okay.” Jared looked uncertain. “What do you think?”

Jensen paused. Jared struck him as innocent, but until he had the facts he didn’t want to say. “I can’t speculate one way or another,” he hedged. But I think you should go see Detective Steven Williams sooner rather than later. He’s in charge of Mackenzie’s case.”

“I will,” Jared promised.

“Great.” The conversation stuttered to a halt as Jensen couldn’t think of what else to say.

Jared saved him from further embarrassment by asking, “So where are you staying? I can ask around if anyone has any information about Mackenzie or if anyone saw her after the night at the bar and get back to you. Or maybe I could go look at her apartment with you--maybe I’ll see something you wouldn’t know to look for.”

“I haven’t checked in anywhere yet,” Jensen replied. “Normally I stay at Mac’s when I visit, but it’s probably going to be a crime scene so I’ll have to find a hotel.” He began digging through his pockets for his wallet and the list Williams gave him, coming up with just the piece of paper. “Shit!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find my wallet. Goddamn it!” Jensen cursed as he dug deeper with no luck. “It must have fallen in the cab.” Just his luck.

“Call the cab company and see if they found it.” Jared straightened up.

Jensen called the cab company and explained his situation. After giving them the details of his cab ride, he listened a moment, then huffed before saying “Okay“ and hanging up the phone. “That cab went off shift right after they dropped me here. If they found my wallet in the back seat, they’d have turned it in to the main office, which is closed until 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.” Jensen sighed, trying to think of an alternative plan. “I’ve given my spare key to the police to search Mac’s apartment, so I can’t stay there…”

“You can stay with me.” Jared said.

“What?” Jensen looked at him.

“I’ve got a spare room. You need a place to stay, at least for the night. I don’t bite.” Jared smiled slightly. “Stay with me until you get things sorted out tomorrow. It’s the least I can do.”

“What do you mean by that?” Jensen asked.

“Well…I feel guilty now that I left Mac alone in her apartment that night. If I’d have stayed, maybe I could have prevented something.” Jared looked stricken.

“Jared, you couldn’t have known something would happen.” Jensen replied. He thought for a moment. “Okay, I appreciate the offer of lodging and I’ll take you up on it. What time are you done here at the University?”

“Actually now. My last class was right before I came to drop these books off at Jeff’s office.” Jared stood up and took Jensen’s duffel. “Let’s head to my place and we can get you settled for the night. Maybe order a pizza for dinner?” Jared smiled, and Jensen was momentarily dazzled by unexpected dimples.

“Sounds great but I’m paying since you’re letting me stay with you.” Jensen waited as Jared locked up Jeff’s office. “Deal?”

“Deal.”

They took a cab to Jared’s house since Jensen and his luggage wouldn’t fit on the back of Jared’s Harley. It was a typical New Orleans shotgun house with bright red doors. Jared unlocked the front door and flipped on the lights.

“Nice place,” Jensen commented as he looked around. The main room was an open floor layout. The kitchen was at one end, with stainless steel appliances and striking black lacquer cabinets. The décor was eclectic--deep crimson painted walls in the main room and hallway, overstuffed comfortable-looking couches with framed band posters mixed with antique masques from past Mardi Gras celebrations, shelves of books and interesting knick knacks, and a small bar in one corner. The long hallway along one side of the house was decorated with bizarre art of skeletons, women and patterns.

“Interesting decorations.” Jensen remarked. “Kind of dark.”

Jared chuckled. “Most people think they are. But they are just representative of voodoo culture. You know – Marie Leveau, Baron Samedi, Papa Legba.”

Jensen took a closer look at one of the prints. It showed a man with a skeleton face, top hat and glass of rum. “Who’s this?”

“That’s Baron Samedi.” Jared came over to stand beside him. “He’s the Loa – the spirit – of the dead. Supposedly he digs your grave and welcomes you to the underworld when you die.”

“Supposedly?” Jensen cocked an eyebrow.

With a laugh, Jared said, “It all depends on what you believe.”

“And what do _you_ believe?” Jensen challenged. For some reason he felt he needed to know.

“I just know that there are lots of folk here in New Orleans that believe in him and I respect that belief.” Jared’s reply was enigmatic and Jensen knew he wouldn’t get more than that out of him.

“Well, I like your place. It’s very eclectic, very vibrant.”

“Thanks,” Jared replied. “I’ve had fun sprucing it up and renovating. Lemme show you the guest room.”

They walked down the hallway, turned left and Jared showed him to a room decorated in shades of green and blue. The colors leant the room a soothing air, and the bed teased Jensen, reminding him how tired he was. “You can stay here. I’ll show you how to work the shower if you’re interested in washing off the travel funk.”

“Don’t you just turn on the water?” Jensen asked with a laugh.

Jared smiled. “Not this one,” he said as he pointed to the bathroom. Jensen poked his head into the room and whistled in amazement. “Good God, that looks like a space pod!” 

The shower unit was amazing; lights, several shower heads, digital controls. Jared pointed out how to set the temperature, pressure, even the satellite radio. “I’m a bit of a hedonist,” he confessed. “My room has a big marble shower room and soaking tub. Kind of my guilty pleasure.”

“I definitely will take advantage of that.” Jensen laughed. “I understand the hedonist thing. I’m kind of that way too.”

“Let me give you a quick tour of the rest of the place.” Jared led him out of the guest room. “Here’s my room if you need anything.” He pointed out the door across from them. “Just knock if the door’s closed. Down here’s my den. It’s a disaster but I actually know where everything is.”

Jensen smiled. Another thing he could relate to. The den was done up in browns and golds, a nice sized desk with papers cluttered all over it and another bookcase with what looked to be textbooks and professional journals.

They stepped back into the long hallway. Jared pointed to a closed door. “That’s my storage room, furnace and the like. Down at the end of the hall is the laundry room and the back door to the yard. There’s a bit of a garden and a patio with a fire pit. I like to hang out there with friends and chill on the weekends. Kind of unwind, you know?””

“Sounds like fun,” Jensen commented. “My apartment building has a rooftop space that’s kind of the same idea.”

They moved back into the kitchen and Jared got them both beers from the fridge. Jensen was happy just to watch him move. Jared was lithe; reminiscent of a big cat, all stealthy and graceful. Jensen blushed a bit when Jared caught him looking, but the other man’s slight smirk told Jensen that his appreciation hadn’t gone unnoticed. Jensen reminded himself that Jared was still a possible suspect and he needed to keep a more professional demeanor.

“In the mood for a pizza?” Jared asked, pulling off a take-out order from under a refrigerator magnet. “My treat.”

“I’d hope so,” said Jensen with a smile. “Since I’m technically broke until tomorrow.”

“You can pay the next time.” Jared dialed the phone. “What do you want on it?”

Jensen felt warm at the implication that Jared thought there’d be a next time. “Uh...pepperoni and mushroom okay?”

“Works for me.” Jared placed the order. Hanging up, he said, “Twenty minutes. C’mon, let’s grab a couch 'til the food gets here.”

They sat down in the living area and Jensen took a swig of his beer. “So,” he began. “How long have you known Jeff?”

“Oh, I met him when I interviewed for the professor position--I think it was about three years ago.” Jared smiled. “He was larger than life and I knew I wanted to work under him after that first interview.” 

The look in Jared’s eyes had Jensen wondering if working under him was solely in the classroom, but he didn’t know Jared well enough to comment. He thought it could be desire, but maybe Jared was just hungry for the pizza. The thought of it being more, however, twisted something in his gut. He didn’t want to think about Jared with Jeff. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Jensen mentally shook himself. What the hell was he doing, thinking about Jared having sex with other people and feeling jealous. He didn’t know Jared, didn’t even know if he was gay. Jensen had no claim over him. _But you want to_ , a soft voice whispered in his head. 

He shoved that thought down and locked the door on it, focusing on what Jared was saying.

“And so one thing led to another, and I wound up accepting the professor of folklore position.” The look on Jared’s face told Jensen he’d seen him zone out, but was going to be polite and not call him on it. Jensen flushed and ducked his head slightly.

“So…folklore…what does that entail?” He scrambled to follow Jared’s comments.

“Myths, legends, magic.” Jared drained his beer and tilted his empty bottle in question.

‘Sure.” Jensen handed Jared his empty. “So you believe in all that?”

“I think you asked me that already.” Jared tossed the bottles into a recycling bin and grabbed two more out of the fridge. 

“I did, didn’t I.” Jensen grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“No, It’s okay.” Jared put the bottles down on the coffee table and went to one of the bookcases. “Belief is a funny thing. For some it’s everything. For others, it’s the horoscope column in the newspaper.” He pulled out a large book. “For example, what’s your birthday? Month, day, year.”

“March 1st, 1986.” Jensen said. “I’m a Pisces.”

He watched as Jared flipped through the book. “Okay, here. March 1, 1986. Because your Sun is in Pisces, you have the ability to identify with people from all walks of life. But because Venus is also in Pisces, you favor the underdog and lean towards wanting to save people. Which falls in line perfectly with being a police officer. But that’s tempered by Saturn being in Sagittarius which makes you want the simple straightforward story--no embellishments. So you keep an eye out for cons and lies.”

Jared flipped a few pages. “And that’s a big deal when it comes to things like religion or spirituality or ‘magic’.” He smirked at Jensen. “You find it hard to just believe another person’s truth without having proof of it yourself. So you wind up having your faith tested frequently because you always look for something stable.”

Jensen was speechless. That described him almost perfectly. “And you got all that out of that book?” 

“Yup.” Jared handed him the book. Jensen quickly read over the pages and sure enough, it was exactly what Jared told him. “Now there’s always going to be things that don’t fit exactly, but overall it’s pretty close.”

Jared sat on the coffee table in front of Jensen. “You can choose to believe or not. Same goes for Voodoo, folklore, magic--all of it. If you think it works, it does, simply by your belief in it.” He was about to say more when the doorbell rang. “Saved by the bell. Let me get the food.” 

They settled down and ate pizza, talking about everything but religion and magic. Jensen marveled at how easy it was to talk to Jared. It was like they had known each other forever. Jensen told Jared about being a cop, his accident and life as a private investigator. They argued about who was the best basketball team--the Mavericks or the Spurs--agreed that the Cowboys were America’s team, and neither had an opinion about the Detroit Red Wings. 

Jensen caught himself in the middle of a yawn. “Man, I think I need to get to bed. Been a long day.” He stretched. “Plus can’t wait to try out that spaceship of a shower.”

Jared laughed as he picked up the pizza box and the bottles. “I know, right?”

“Do you need help cleaning up?” Jensen asked as he stood up.

“Nah, I’m good. You go ahead.” Jared threw the trash away. “Rest well. Tomorrow we’ll go get your wallet.”

“Works for me.” Jensen headed to the guest room. Once he got there, he pulled out a pair of sleep pants and an old soft t-shirt. Taking them into the bathroom, he dialed up the temperature and, on a whim, chose the classic rock station on the satellite radio. He stripped down and stepped under the water spray, letting out a moan at how good it felt. Turning towards the back of the shower, he let his head fall forward and closed his eyes, feeling the water pound the muscles on his tense neck. He stood there, relaxing and humming softly to ‘Night Moves’, thinking he had to get one of these showers for his apartment.

There was a sound like a door opening, but when Jensen stuck his head out of the shower, no one was there.


	3. Chapter 3

Jared waited until he couldn’t hear Jensen moving about in his room before he went to his ‘storage room’. He’d lied to Jensen about what it was for. In reality, it was his work room. He was always reluctant to tell new people that he was a voodoo practitioner. They either looked at him funny and stopped hanging around him, or else they nagged him to create spells for them that would make them rich or hex someone they were angry at. He didn’t work that way, so it was just easier not to tell them.

Jared flipped the light switch and the soft glow of low table lamps greeted him. The room was painted in a soft pewter, its sheen burnished under the lamp light. He’d refinished the hardwood floor himself, etching a permanent summoning circle into the grain. 

His altar was set to one side. He’d used an old cast iron table with a glass top and set it up with candles and brass bowls. On the opposite wall, a small closet was filled with supplies; more candles of different colors, altar cloths, dried herbs, alcohol to offer the spirits, ceremonial robes. 

Tonight he took out a small bottle of pink champagne, a crystal flute, some macaroons, several different herbs, and white candles. He quickly undressed and slipped on a deep red silk robe, leaving it unbelted. His cock and balls hung freely and the thought of what he was about to do made his dick begin to plump. 

Stepping to his altar, Jared poured a measure of avocado oil into one of the brass bowls. Then he added cardamom, inhaling its pungent scent, followed by cattail, damiana, crushed rose petals and followed it up with several drops of hyacinth oil. He stirred it with a yew wand and murmured a simple spell under his breath.

Once done, he dipped his fingers in the bowl and massaged his body with the oils. He spread it over his chest and stomach, paying attention to his nipples and the cut of his hip, before moving down to his thighs and ending finally with his cock and balls.

Now anointed and prepared, he set the white candles, champagne, flute and macaroons, as well as a poppet, a pin and a piece of paper in the middle of the circle. He knelt and lit the candles with a quick spell and centered his thoughts on his desire.

Jared took the pin and pricked his finger until blood welled up. On the paper he wrote Jensen’s name and birthdate, dipping the pin back into his blood as it dried on the tip. He then pinned the paper to the poppet to focus his intention on Jensen.

Closing his eyes, he began his ritual by calling up Papa Legba to give the Mistress Erzulie Freda safe passage. He waited a few moments before opening the champagne and pouring it into the flute. Holding it up to the East, West, North, and South points of the compass, he chanted, “Mistress Erzulie Freda, please come drink with me.”

Trading the champagne for the macaroons, Jared repeated the ritual, this time chanting “Mistress Erzulie Freda, please come eat with me.”

Jared felt the temperature in the room change--the Loa was near. A subtle scent of rose and lavender wafted through the room and he felt the spirit settle upon him.

 _I am here, sweet boy. What is it you seek?_. Her voice was wonderfully smooth, like dark velvet. Jared could feel her smile as she recognized him.

“I seek the spirit of he who is pinned.” The paper pinned to the poppet moved as if someone held it to read.

 _He is close, yes?_. Jared nodded. _Why you seek him?_

“I want him.” Jared was blunt. From the moment he saw Jensen in Jeff’s office, he lusted for him. Asking Mistress Erzulie for help would just keep Jensen close enough for Jared to get to know him and possibly work some magic if he needed it.

 _Dis man, you want to fuck ‘im or love ‘im?_ Jared chuckled. Leave it to the Loa to get down to brass tacks.

“Definitely fuck. Love? Maybe,” he said truthfully. He didn’t want to anger the Loa or things could backfire very badly.

 _Hmmmm_. He could feel her waver and Jared knew he needed to make a stronger offering to tempt the Loa. 

“He is in the next room. I can let you see him.” Jared was taking a chance leaving the circle while being host to a Loa. But his desire for Jensen, anyway he could have him, was worth the risk.

He felt her interest pique. _Take me to ‘im._

Jared stood up, swaying a bit as he got his balance. He left the work room and moved sinuously to the room where Jensen lay asleep. Creaking the door open slightly, he saw Jensen on the bed on top of the sheets.

He was beautiful. The Loa hummed in pleasure as Jared swept his eyes down the curve of Jensen’s back. In the shadow of the bathroom light, Jensen’s skin had a low sheen that cried out to be touched. His hair was mussed, like he had just finished having sex. His ass, encased in black boxer briefs, was firm and round. Jared could feel Mistress Erzulie’s interest.

 _He is beautiful._. Jared moved closer to Jensen, inhaling his scent, a mix of woodsy bath soap and citrus shampoo. _I will give him to you._

The breeze from earlier picked up again, this time with a sense of want and longing. Jared shuddered as he saw Jensen wrinkle his nose and roll over onto his back

 _Feel him want you._. 

Lust swept over Jared as Jensen’s hand twitched on the bed. Jared gasped when he felt a firm grip squeeze on his cock, but there was no one touching it. He backed up against the wall for stability as that firm grip moved up and down, jacking him slowly. Jared knew it was the Loa but he imagined it was Jensen. 

Jensen moaned and shifted on the bed, his dick pushing prominently against his boxers. It was obvious he was feeling what Jared was feeling, even though he was still asleep. 

Jared let the waves of desire wash over him. He closed his eyes and imagined it was Jensen’s hand touching him so intimately. Moments later, the movement stopped to be replaced by a warm wet mouth. Startled, Jared opened his eyes to still see nothing, but the feeling was unfortunately still there; warm and moist, a tongue swiping up the bottom of his cock to engulf the head, sucking and lapping right under the head to make his dick strain for more.

Jensen was undulating on the bed, fucking up into an invisible lover, his face contorted with lust. Jared thrust forward into the imaginary mouth in tempo with Jensen’s movements, almost as though they were fucking the same person. Jared shuddered at the thought.

Suddenly, Jensen froze, coming with a shout and darkening the front of his boxers. Jared’s pleasure stopped immediately and he felt his body being pulled back towards his work room.

Cock aching, he stumbled back into the room, shutting the door and falling to his knees.

 _He is good, yes? You goin’ to like very much._. Mistress Erzulie’s voice was satisfied. _He is marked for you now._

“Thank you,” Jared said breathlessly. He reached out mentally and felt the mark Mistress Erzulie put on Jensen’s soul. He sensed her beginning to fade, so he called on Papa Legba to give her safe passage. Once she was gone, he slumped on the floor. His dick was still hard but he wasn’t going to do anything about it in the workroom. 

Blowing out the candles, he left everything else to clean up later. Jared slowly got to his feet, belted the robe and exited his workroom. Quietly he headed through his bedroom to the bathroom and shucked off the robe. He hung it up on a peg, then turned on his shower to almost scalding.

Standing under the heat, he let the water wash off the oils on his skin. He’d thought of Jensen; how beautiful he looked in the throes of passion. He couldn’t wait to see Jensen like that underneath him, his body undulating, hearing his moans of pleasure.

Jared took his cock in his hand and let the image play out in his head as the water cascaded over his shoulders.

Jensen woke with a shout. He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep, but he had been in the midst of an intensely erotic dream, which ended when he’d come in his boxers like a teenager. And of course the dream starred none other than Jared. He’d dreamt that Jared came into his room wearing nothing but a red silk robe and smelling wonderful. His body was sculpted, pecs and abs tight, a hint of the cut of his hip, a treasure trail of short hair leading directly to his cock.

 _Oh god, Jared’s cock._ Jensen shuddered, remembering how large and ruddy it was. He’d dreamt that cock was in his hand and he was stroking it, feeling the firmness, the drops of precome dripping from the tip. 

He couldn’t help himself, he had to taste what Jared was offering and so he slipped Jared’s cock into his mouth, moaning at the taste. Sliding it up and down in his mouth, Jensen sucked on the tip and tongued under the head, relishing how it throbbed under his ministrations.

The culmination came when he felt Jared’s body on top of him, riding Jensen’s’ dick. Thrusting up and down, feeling the tightness of Jared’s hole. It didn’t take him long to come with the shout that woke him up.

He sat up and swung his feet over the side of the bed. Cleaning up was in order, so he padded over to the bathroom. Dropping his boxers, he grabbed a washcloth, wet it, and wiped himself down. Feeling better, if not clean, Jensen rummaged through his bag for sleep pants and t-shirt. His dream left him parched so he headed out into the kitchen for a bottle of water. He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle, cracking it open and drinking deeply. A breath, then a second gulp and the water was gone. He dropped the empty into the recycle bin and padded back towards his room. 

Jared’s bedroom door was ajar and something compelled Jensen to push it open ever farther. Jared wasn’t in his bed, but Jensen heard the shower running. Without a thought he moved further into the room until he stopped outside the French doors leading into the bathroom.

Jensen forgot to breathe when he saw Jared, gloriously naked under the shower spray. He was exactly as Jensen dreamed. Taut hips, sculpted chest and waist. Legs for days. Jensen couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

Jared had one hand on the shower wall. The other hand was on his cock, moving lazily up and down. His dick was beautiful, as thick and flushed as Jensen remembered from his erotic dream. Jensen licked his lips with the memory of the imaginary cock in his mouth and wished that he’d had the real thing.

He watched as Jared fisted his dick, moving faster and faster until he arched his back and came, semen spraying all over the wall in front of him.

Jensen must have made a sound because suddenly Jared turned his head and saw him. They locked eyes, Jensen’s wide and startled, Jared’s languid and sated. They stayed like that for what felt like forever until Jared grinned knowingly at him and gave his cock a few more strokes.

The spell broken, Jensen quickly turned and fled to his room. Getting back into bed, he couldn’t believe he had watched Jared jack off. How was that going to affect tomorrow? How was he going to be able to face Jared? Jensen was embarrassed and turned on at the same time. The mature respectable person in him couldn't believe he had spied on Jared that way. The lustful side of him had been one step away from joining Jared in the shower. 

As he puzzled through the conundrum, Jensen’s eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep.

The next morning, Jensen woke up to the smell of coffee. He stretched, a smile on his face until he remembered what had happened last night.

_Shit._

He flushed, embarrassed. How was he going to face Jared? 

The decision was taken out of his hands by Jared knocking on the door, then pushing it open, two mugs of coffee in his hands.

“Hey, thought you could use a starter.” Jared walked in and placed one of the mugs on the night stand. “It’s just a wake-me-up until we can get breakfast at Café du Monde. You haven’t visited New Orleans until you’ve had their beignets and coffee.”

Jared’s easy way and smile set Jensen at ease. They weren’t going to talk about what happened last night, at least not immediately, but it wasn’t going to affect their interaction. “Thanks.” Jensen took a sip of the coffee and groaned. “Damn, that’s good.”

“It’s amazing what a Keurig can do,” Jared replied with a chuckle. “It’s not coffee snob level, but it’ll do.”

“It’s hot and caffeinated, that’s all that matters.” Jensen took another drink and placed the cup back on the nightstand. A part of him was shocked at the fact that there they were, in Jensen’s bedroom, conversing like this was a normal everyday occurrence. There was another part, though, that was pleased with the easiness between then--the intimacy, for lack of a better word..

“Okay, so what’s the plan for today?” Jensen got out of bed and went to his duffle, pulling out some jeans, a pair of boxer briefs and a Henley.

“I thought after you called the cab company about your wallet, we would get an Uber to the university, pick up my bike, retrieve your wallet and then head out to the Café.” Jared picked up Jensen’s cup. “Get dressed, I’ll grab my spare helmet and we’ll head out.”

A short time later they found themselves at the University. Jared needed to get his helmet in his office, so they stopped by the Anthropology Department.

“Hey Sabine,” Jared greeted her with a hug. 

“Oh Jared. I’m glad I saw you.” Sabine came around the desk and hugged Jared. “The police were here looking for you. Did you hear that Mackenzie Ackles is missing too?”

“Yeah, I did.” Jared gestured to Jensen. “This is Jensen Ackles, Mackenzie’s brother.”

“Oh my god.” Jensen was startled when Sabine hugged him. “‘I’m so sorry! What happened?” She asked. 

“We don’t know.” Jensen replied as she let him go. “I’ve filed a missing persons’ report, but we don’t know if there is anything new yet.”

“And it seems that I’m the last person who saw her the night she disappeared,” Jared commented wryly. “So I need to talk to the police, I guess.”

“Oh no.” Sabine sucked in a breath. “You don’t think it has anything to do with Jeff’s disappearance, do you?”

“No clue.” Jensen tried not to think in that direction, but it all seemed too coincidental. “We’ll see what the police say.”

“Listen, if the police call back, tell them I’ll call them as soon as I’m free,” Jared said, ducking into his office to get his helmet. “Can you have Trey cover my Intro to Anthropology classes this afternoon? They’re reviewing and taking a pre-test so he doesn’t have to do anything but keep them on track.”

“Where are you going to be?” Sabine asked, a worried look on her face.

“I’ll be with Jensen--kind of a tour guide. I’m going to have to talk to the police at some point today, so it’ll be best to have my schedule clear.” Jared hugged her. “I’ll be fine but call me if anything comes up. And I’ll keep you posted too.” 

“Okay. Be safe.” Jensen saw her look at him worriedly, and smiled as Jared winked at her.

“I always am. Later.”

They headed to the parking garage to get Jared’s bike, stopped off to pick up Jensen’s wallet, and soon they were seated at the famous Café du Monde with a plate of beignets and a pot of chicory coffee in front of them.

“So, you’re the investigator here. What should we do first?” Jared asked, leaning back in his seat.

Jensen laughed. “You know you’re still a potential suspect until the police prove otherwise.” He laughed louder as Jared made a face at him.

“Do you really think I did something to Mackenzie?” Jared gazed at him frankly, almost daring Jensen to say yes.

“My gut is telling me no, but as you said last night, I want proof of my faith.” Jensen took a sip of his coffee.

“Ah, so you _were_ listening last night.” Jared broke off a bit of the pastry and popped it in his mouth. “Seriously though, would I be spending time with you if I had done something to hurt your sister?”

“It would make for a great cover, but no.” Jensen studied Jared as he ate. “You may be some things, but dishonest doesn’t feel like one of them. So no, I don’t think you did something to hurt Mackenzie.” He sighed. “I just wish I knew who did and why.”

Jensen’s phone interrupted his train of thought. “Ackles.”

”Jensen, It’s Steven Williams. The detective’s voice sounded tinny over the phone and Jensen could hear noises in the background.

“Detective Williams, what can I do for you?” Jensen’s eyes caught Jared as Jared straightened up in his chair.

I’m looking into your sister’s disappearance. We’ve got a lead. It seems one of the professors, a Jared Padalecki, took your sister home the night she disappeared. We are trying to contact him now.”

“Really? Well I happen to know where he is.” Jensen winked at Jared.

”Damn it, boy. You work fast.” Jensen heard Williams chuckle. “How about bringing him down to the precinct and we can question him?”

“Instead of the precinct, how about you meet us at Mackenzie’s apartment? Jared can walk you through what happened that night.” Jared nodded at Jensen’s statement. “You haven’t gone through her place yet, have you?”

”No, in fact we were going to head over there in about a half hour. We can meet there.”. Jensen heard Williams pause. ”You don’t think he did it, do you.”. Williams wasn’t asking Jensen a question.

“Honestly, I don’t, but he may be able to help us figure out who did.” Jensen dug out his wallet and tossed some bills on the table to cover the check. “We’ll be there shortly.”

”See you soon.”. Williams ended the call.

“Thank you.” Jared stood and picked up one of the helmets.

“For what?” Jensen began to wind his way through the crowded tables.

“For having faith in me.” Jared was close behind him, and his breath on Jensen’s neck made him shudder.

“Don’t prove me wrong.” Jensen threw back at Jared. _Please God, don’t prove me wrong_.


	4. Chapter 4

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/theatregirl7299/51658155/7167/7167_original.jpg)

The Crime Scene Unit department was on the scene when Jared and Jensen parked in front of Mackenzie’s apartment. They were stopped at the main door by a patrolman, and Jensen wished he still had his detective badge. Luckily, all they had to do was mention that Detective Williams was expecting them and they were ushered upstairs.

Mackenzie’s apartment looked alien to Jensen with all the police combing over it. It took all of Jensen’s will to keep from yelling at them to stop handling Mackenzie’s things so impersonally, but he knew they weren’t doing it intentionally. Suddenly he felt a squeeze on his arm and turned to see Jared looking compassionately at him.

“It’s okay,” Jared said softly to him. “You know they have to do this.”

“Yeah. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” 

“Ackles.” Detective Williams called to him from across the room. “Is that Padalecki?”

“Yes, sir. Jared Padalecki.” Jared walked over and shook the detective’s hand. “My receptionist told me you were looking for me. What do you need for me to do?”

“Can you come over here and give your statement to the lieutenant?” Williams pointed to a smartly dressed young lady. “She’ll want your fingerprints too.”

“Fingerprints?” Jared looked concerned. “I mean, okay, but I did touch some stuff while I helped Mac into the apartment.”

“And that’s what we need to rule out,” Jensen told him. He wanted to reassure Jared that everything was okay, but he knew that he needed to be officially cleared before the local police would take Jensen’s word for it.

Williams steered Jensen away from where the lieutenant sat with Jared, taking his statement. “Nice looking young man,” he remarked, side-eyeing Jensen. 

“Mm hmm.” Jensen refused to rise to the bait. He crossed his arms and locked gazes with Williams.

They stared at each other for a moment, then Williams broke out in a grin. “Okay, okay. So what did he tell you?”

“That a group of them went out to a bar, and Mac got too tipsy to get home by herself. Jared got her home and put her to bed on the couch and then left. He didn’t know she was missing until I met him in Jeff Morgan’s office yesterday.”

“We’ll see if what he’s saying today matches up with what he told you.” Williams scratched the back of his neck. “As of right now we’re not finding anything that indicates foul play. Everything looks in order just like you told me when you came in to file the missing person’s report.”

“Fuck.” Jensen swore. “There’s nothing?”

“Sorry, not yet. We’re checking to see if there’s anything on traffic cams that might be able to help us.”

“Okay, thanks.” Jensen sighed and looked around the apartment, hoping to find something--anything--that looked out of place, that he might have missed the first time. Jared joined him when he was finished giving his statement. “How’d it go?” Jensen asked him with a grin.

Jared shuddered. “I never want to have to do that again. I know I’m not guilty, but I swear they made me doubt myself and what happened.”

Jensen chuckled. “It’s our superpower. They teach you that at the police academy.”

“Yeah, no thank you.” Jared was quiet for a moment. “So can you tell me what’s going on?”

Jensen motioned for Jared to follow him into Mackenzie’s bedroom, which was currently devoid of police. “They’re looking for something that would give them a lead as to what might have happened. Unfortunately they haven’t found anything.”

"Any kind of thing in particular?" Jared asked while looking around the room. Jensen watched as he seemed to zero in on a section of Mackenzie's floor.

“What are you looking at, Jared?” Jensen’s senses clicked into overdrive. Jared had picked up a clue.

“Not looking, smelling.” Jared sniffed, and walked closer to the wide area between Mackenzie’s bed and her desk. He bent down and sniffed the throw rug. “Here, help me move this.”

Jensen grabbed one end and they quickly moved the rug. Underneath it, they found a circle with various symbols around it etched into the floor. Parts of the circle looked smudged, like ashes had been rubbed into the wooden boards. 

“How the hell did you know this was here?” A frisson of unease slipped down Jensen’s spine. Maybe Jared wasn’t as innocent as he seemed.

“I didn’t,” Jared replied shortly. “I’ve never been in Mac’s bedroom before.”

“Then how –“

“I smelled it.” Jared ran his fingers over the smudge. “Here, smell.”

Jensen sniffed cautiously at Jared’s fingers. The scent of cinnamon, maybe mint, and something musty hit his nose and almost made him sneeze. “What is it?”

“Sak chans. ‘Lucky Bag’,” Jared stated. “It’s a mixture of calendula, cinnamon and clove. It’s commonly used in the voodoo rituals for calling up Madame Tia.” He stood and poked his head out of the room. “Detective Williams? Can you come here?”

Williams came to the door and cursed when Jared showed him the Lucky Bag. “We wouldn’t have found that right away, but Jared is right. Practitioners use that herb mix. Was Mackenzie a believer?”

“Not that I know of.” Jensen shook his head. “If she was, she never told me.” He was shocked by this discovery and its possible implications. Had Mac gotten sucked into this voodoo business during her time in New Orleans? God, he hoped not. It was all creepy and dark and, frankly, kinda messy. All he could think of was the chanting in his dream from last night and it made him shudder. Then another thought occurred to him.

“Wait, how did you know about the Lucky Bag?” Jensen asked Jared. “Do you teach that stuff in class? Did Mac get this stuff from you? Huh?” Jensen pushed Jared heavily against the wall. “Did you warp her mind?”

“Back down, Ackles!” Detective Williams pulled Jensen off of Jared. “Beating the shit out of him isn’t going to help.”

Jared rubbed the back of his head where it had hit the wall. “I didn’t get Mackenzie involved in voodoo or any other form of spirituality or magic. But that doesn’t mean someone else in the department didn’t. Jeff encourages his students to study rituals, and his TAs outdo themselves to be number one in his books. She could have started practicing just to get a leg up on the other students.”

Jensen whirled around to face Williams. “Is this connected with Jeff’s disappearance? What do you know!”

Williams sighed. “Nothing major there either, but this might open up a few leads. Jared, can you give us a list of all of Jeff’s teaching assistants? It’s possible that Mackenzie’s and Jeff’s disappearances could be a matter of professional competition and jealousy. We’ll start checking that out immediately.” 

“Yes, sir.” Jared and the detective left, giving Jensen a chance to calm down. He stared at the floor, studying the circle etched into the wood. On a hunch, he knelt down and felt around the circle’s outline. One of the wood slats dipped slightly as he touched it. Glancing out past the doorway to make sure no one was watching, he pulled out the pocket knife he always carried, flipped it open and pried up the floorboard.

In the small space now uncovered, Jensen found a small metal cigar box. Inside the box were several items wrapped in a deep purple cloth. He heard Jared and Detective Williams coming back so he quickly slipped the cloth into his jacket pocket, put the box back and replaced the floorboard. He stood up just as they returned to the bedroom.

“Okay, Jared’s given us the names of the teaching assistants and their contact information,” said Williams. “He said he’s going to be with you if we need him.” The amused tone of Williams’ voice left no doubt what he thought about that development. Jensen ignored him again.

Jared just chuckled. “We’ll stay out of trouble, Detective .”

“Uh huh.” Williams replied dryly. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Well, Detective.” Jensen shook Williams’ hand. “Looks like you don’t need us messing up the rest of the crime scene so we’ll head out.”

“I’ll call you when we find out anything new,” Williams said.

“Thanks.” Jensen wove his way through the police that were still processing the apartment and headed down the stairs to the sidewalk. Jared followed without comment.

Once they were outside, Jared leaned in and spoke softly into Jensen’s ear. “Want to tell me why we beat it out of there like the place was on fire?”

“Let’s get on the bike and go around the corner. I don’t want any officers nearby,” Jensen murmured under his breath as he put on his helmet.

Jared nodded and climbed on the bike, holding it steady for Jensen to get on behind him. They pulled out into traffic, drove a few blocks, turned the corner and stopped in front of an outdoor café. “Is this good?”

“Yeah.” Jensen climbed off and took the nearest empty table while Jared parked the bike. He ordered a water for each of them and waited for Jared to come sit down.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Jared stretched out his long legs.

“First off, I owe you an apology for accusing you about teaching Mac about voodoo. It was wrong and I’m sorry.” Jensen rubbed his face. “Truth is, I’m really out of my depth here. I'm afraid for her, and I don't know anything about this stuff, and so I just lashed out.”

“Apology accepted and I understand,” Jared replied, smiling softly. “So what’s going on.”

Jensen took a deep breath. Pulling the cloth out from his jacket, he said, “I found this under the floorboards of Mac’s apartment.”

Jared took the bundle and carefully placed it on the table. He unfolded the cloth to reveal a small bag, along with some bones, stones, and charms. He took the straw that the server had left with the waters, unwrapping it and using it as a little poker to separate the items, turning the charms over with the edge of the straw. “Hmm.” Jared then untied the string around the small bag and poured out the contents. It was mostly herbs and had a similar scent to the ashes that were on the floor of Mackenzie’s bedroom. Amongst the herbs were more small bones; they looked like bird bones to Jensen.

“What is it?” Jensen was almost afraid to ask. He didn’t want to find out that it was something evil or dark.

“It’s a charm bag. When used with the right incantation, this one would be used for success.”

Jensen blew out a breath of relief. “So it’s not like putting a hex on someone.”

Jared laughed. “No, not this one, thankfully.”

“So can you tell where she got it?” Jensen took a sip of his water.

“You know on television when the FBI say they can identify a bomb maker by his signature?” Jensen nodded. “Some voodoo practitioners ‘sign’ their work. See here?” Jared pointed to a small mark on one of the bones. “This is the maker’s mark. I know exactly who made this.”

“Shit, really?” Jensen began to get excited. A lead. Finally.

“Yup, and her shop is open right now.”

“Let’s go then.”

The traffic was light as they made their way into the French Quarter. Jared made a phone call while they were stopped at a traffic light, but Jensen couldn’t hear the conversation over the roar of the motorcycle. He hung on tight to Jared as they passed a taxi on Bourbon and hoped to hell that whoever they were seeing could help them find Mackenzie.

Loretta Devine’s Voodoo Shop was a small storefront on St. Anne Street. Jared was able to find a parking space nearby, so they pulled off the road and locked up the bike.

The store was busy, which gave Jensen a chance to look around. He was amazed at the amount and variety of merchandise crammed into the tiny shop. Gaily colored pictures of revelers mixed with dark paintings and posters of skulls, cemeteries, and the Loa reached high to the tin covered ceiling. Walls were covered with beads and African masks, shelves were jammed with boxes of cigars, jars of what looked like peppers in alcohol, mugs and skulls, baskets of polished stones and charms, voodoo dolls, crosses and bags and hanging herbs. It was difficult to walk around in the narrow aisles.

Jensen got a face full of feathers as he tried to sneak around an elderly man fishing through a bowl of silver charms. He looked around for Jared and found him talking to an older woman with beautiful coffee black skin. Jensen managed to make his way over to them without knocking over any of the numerous statues and baskets that were strewn about the shop.

Jared smiled at him. “Jensen, this is Loretta Devine. She owns the shop.”

“Hello, child.” Loretta’s eyes locked on his as she greeted him. Jensen felt like she was staring into his soul, gauging him. “Oh. He is a pretty one,” she said as an aside to Jared. “Erzulie Dantor likes him, too. Does he know?”

“No.” 

Jensen saw Jared flush and wondered what they were talking about. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” He held out his hand for her to shake. She took it with a crystal-like laugh.

“Polite, too.” Loretta held his hand for a moment. “Oh, his nanm is strong. That’s good. He’ll need it.”

“Nanm?” Jensen asked.

“It means soul,” Jared told him. “Show Loretta a picture of Mackenzie.”

Jensen took out his phone, but Loretta shook her head.

“Do you have a real picture of her? Then I can get a much clearer sense of her.” Jensen did, a small thumbnail picture from Mackenzie’s college graduation, and he handed it to Loretta.

“Oh yes, I remember her.” Loretta tapped the picture. “Such a sweet child. Polite, like you. We had a lovely talk about ritual.” She smiled at Jensen. “She was gathering items to perform a ritual for her brother. For you, I gather.”

“Wait, for me?” Jensen didn’t quite know what to think about Mackenzie performing a ritual for him, or really about Mackenzie performing a ritual at all.

“It was a ritual for personal success. She told me that you were starting a new business and she wanted to give you a boost.” Loretta laughed again. “She was nervous that she would do it improperly. I reassured her that it was the intention that counted. Is she alright?”

“We’re not sure.” Jensen was about to ask Loretta more about Mackenzie’s visit when she excused herself to deal with a customer. 

“So what did that part about having a strong soul mean?” Jensen asked.

“It helps to have a strong soul when you summon a Loa,” Jared replied. “Especially if it’s one of the major ones. They can be headstrong and difficult to handle.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean, ‘summon a Loa’?” Jensen was confused. 

“Loretta is a very skilled practitioner. I told her what’s happened so far, and she said we need to hold a summoning to get some answers about Mackenzie.”

“Are you serious?” Jensen couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “My sister is missing and you want to play around with witchcraft?”

Jared looked annoyed. “First of all, it’s not witchcraft. Second, sometimes the other side has answers that can’t be found anywhere else.” Jared blew out a breath in frustration. “Why do you think I brought you here, Jensen?”

“To ask questions! Not to…to cast spells and talk to spirits!” Jensen shook his head. This was ridiculous. He needed to be out looking for Mackenzie, not playing around in a voodoo shop that looked like someone’s Pirates of the Caribbean dress-up chest had vomited all over the store. He started towards the door, but Jared's hand on his arm stopped him. 

“Please.” Jared’s voice was soft, almost mesmerizing. Jensen couldn’t help but lean in to the tone. “I know you’re skeptical, but at least give it a chance. It can’t hurt.”

“Okay.” Jensen found himself agreeing. He didn’t think it would work, but for some reason he had an overwhelming need to please Jared. “So what do we need to do?”

“Follow me.” Jared headed towards a door in the back of the shop. Opening it, he motioned for Jensen to enter ahead of him.

They walked down a small hallway and came to another door. The room they entered was beyond anything that Jensen had ever seen.

The windowless room was painted in a deep gold with a burnished sheen. A parquet wood floor had a circle pattern with sigils similar to the ones he’d seen in Mackenzie’s apartment. An altar was set up against one wall, a deep purple cloth draping it. Religious glass candles, a brass bowl, dolls, and beads covered the altar. A wooden chair that looked like a throne was in the middle of the circle.

“This is Loretta’s workroom,” Jared explained. “She’ll be here shortly, but in the meantime I need your help setting up. First off, send me a picture of Mackenzie.”

“Okay.” Jensen wasn’t sure how he could help. He shook his head in disbelief. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought he would be helping set up for a voodoo ritual. He quickly texted Jared the picture he’d shown to Loretta.

“In that closet on the top shelf is a top hat, a frock coat, and a pair of sunglasses. I’m going to need them.” Jared stepped over to the altar and reached under it, bringing out a jar of peppers similar to the ones Jensen had seen in the shop.

Jensen opened the closet door and found the items Jared had asked about. The top hat was covered in black silk that looked worn with age. The hatband was purple with a black feather. Jensen turned it over to see that the interior was lined in red silk. It looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen it before.

The sunglasses were gold wire rims with the left lens dark and the right lens missing. Jensen wondered what had happened to the missing lens.

The black jacket was cut in an old-time formal style with tails, with a blood red rose nestled in the lapel. Jensen could smell the scent of the rose and was amazed at how realistic it looked. He brushed his finger over the petals and realized it _was_ real. He turned to ask Jared about it, but lost his train of thought as he watched Jared move.

He’d already thought that Jared moved beautifully, but seeing him prepare the altar was like watching water flow. Jared bent and straightened, his muscles flexing as he poured the liquid from the pepper jar out into rocks glasses and set up cigars. Jensen couldn’t help but focus on Jared’s elegant hands, deftly mixing herbs, his long fingers dancing over the glass herb jars. Jensen flashed back to his dream and for a split second imagined those fingers playing over his nipples and grasping his cock. He shuddered and forced himself to think of anything else but Jared and sex. This was so not the time.

“Here you go.” His voice was hoarse when he offered Jared the hat, glasses, and coat.

“Just put them on the chair”, Jared said. “We’ll need them in a bit.”

“Uh, is it okay if I walk inside the circle?” Jensen had heard somewhere that you didn’t want to break magic circles or some such thing.

“It’s fine. We haven’t started the ritual yet so you’re safe.” Jared chuckled. 

“Oh, okay.” Jensen placed the items on the seat of the chair. “Anything else I can do to help?”

“No, we just need to wait for Loretta.”

“And I’m here.” Loretta bustled in, startling Jensen. She had changed her clothes; now she was dressed in a long white dress with strands of white and purple beads decorating her neck. “Had to shoo folks out of the shop. Wouldn’t do for the tourists wandering around while we do this.” She smiled reassuringly at Jensen. “Don’t worry, honey. It’ll be fine.”

Jensen wasn’t so sure. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Loretta, we’ve set up, but would you check?” Jared motioned to the altar. “Make sure it’s to your satisfaction.”

Loretta walked over to the altar and studied it. Jensen saw her furrow her brow. “You want to call up the Baron? Are you sure?”

“It’s the best, considering what we are asking for.” Jared sounded defensive.

“All right, but you better let him know what to expect.” She cocked her head towards Jensen. “The Baron can be…a bit much to deal with.”

“Who’s the Baron?” Jensen was beginning to think that Loretta’s reassurance might be a bit premature.

“Baron Samedi,” Jared said. “I told you about him at the house, remember?”

“Yeah. The Master of the Dead, right?” Jensen paled. “You think Mackenzie is dead.”

“No no no.” Jared replied quickly. “Yes, the Baron is Master of the Dead, but he also is the king of the other side. He knows things and has channels of information that may help us.” 

Jensen searched Jared’s face and felt that he was sincere, but Jensen couldn’t help feeling uncertain. “Jared, I’m not sure…” He was interrupted by Loretta taking his hands in hers.

“Jensen.” She squeezed his hands. “This will get you the information you need. Something that the police have been unable to find. If you don’t trust me, do you trust Jared? Search yourself for the answer.”

Jensen gazed into her eyes, warm brown and certain. He looked at Jared then closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he thought about what Loretta asked. _Did he trust Jared?_

Opening his eyes he said, “Yes.”

“Good.” Loretta squeezed his hands again and let them go. “There’s a few things you need to know and prepare for before we call the Baron.” She walked over to the chair and, picking up the coat, handed it to Jared. “During a summoning, a selected person agrees to be the ‘horse’ for the Loa to ride. Jared has agreed to be the horse for us today.”

“Wait. Does that mean you’re going to be possessed?” Jensen was horrified. Images of Linda Blair in ‘The Exorcist’ flashed through his panicking mind. “No. That’s not gonna happen.”

“Jensen,” Jared said gently. “It’s not like the stuff you see on television. It’s not evil. It’s like being a medium--giving the Baron a voice for us to ask our questions. I’ll be fine.” Jared smiled slightly. “I’ve done it before so I know what to expect.”

Jensen didn’t know what to say. He was so far out of his depth he didn’t know what was up and what was down. He took a deep breath. “Okay. But if something seems wrong….”

“I’ll make sure he’s okay.” Loretta promised. “I would never risk Jared.” She patted Jensen on the chest. “Now, Jared, go ahead and get ready.”

Jensen watched as Jared put on the coat, shrugging the shoulders into place. He sat down, slipped on the glasses and put the top hat on.

“Okay. Jensen, what’s going to happen next is Loretta is going to chant to call the Baron among us. Don’t freak out because it’s gonna be a bit weird. The Baron is…” Jared smirked and looked at Loretta. “Let’s just say that the Baron is a hedonist. He likes alcohol and cigars, which is why we have those on the altar.” 

“He likes sex too,” Loretta chuckled. “And he’s gonna like you. A lot.”

“What?” Jensen exclaimed. “He’s gonna want to have sex with me?” His head whirled--if this whole mess wasn't bizarre enough, there was going to be sex with voodoo Loas?

“Jared will keep him under control, but that doesn’t mean he won’t come on to you. He likes beautiful people,” Loretta explained. “And child, you are right up his alley.”

“Great,” Jensen grumbled. “The voodoo spirit has the hots for me.”

Jared chuckled. “It’s not that bad.”

“Says you.” Jensen groused, trying to come to terms with what was about to happen. “So what do I have to do during this ritual.”

“You’re going to need to be in the circle with Jared. It will keep him contained. The Baron is going to be angry that he’s being held, and he won’t talk to you unless you give him the cigar and liquor.” Loretta handed him the cigar and the drink. She put a small stool at Jensen’s feet, laying a box of wooden matches and the picture of Mackenzie on it. “The Baron is not a fan of electronics,” she said with a chuckle. “I’ll call him up. Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Jensen squared his shoulders and stepped into the circle. He watched as Loretta lit the candles and placed them around the circle. She began murmuring something under her breath as she took the different herbs and put them in the brass bowl. Mashing them with a wooden pestle, she added water from a teapot that Jensen hadn’t noticed before. While she stirred it, she began singing.

Here we call the magic, the magic  
Down from heaven up from hell, the magic  
Spirits high and spirits low, the magic  
We call the magic, the magic.

Jared joined her, repeating the words over and over as she dipped an aspergillum in the mixture and sprinkled them. The melody was hypnotic and Jensen found himself humming along.

Loretta started swaying back and forth as she sprinkled more water on the mixture. She whirled around and placed the bowl back on the altar. Picking up a small knife, Jensen saw her slit her thumb and let the blood drops fall into a crystal bowl. She mixed that with a grey powder that looked like ash. Jensen shuddered to think what it really was.

She turned back to the circle and motioned to Jared. He came right to the edge of the circle and held his hands out. Jensen cringed as she rubbed the paste onto his hands, then his forehead and cheeks.

Her song changed, growing darker as the melody changed to a minor key.

Nighttime comes and covers the day  
Bones, blood, ash and death – his realm.  
I call you forth to ride your horse.  
Baron oh Baron, come now to your supplicant.

Baron, come forth.  
Rum and cigars, our offering to you  
We ask for your aid  
Baron, come forth.

Jensen startled as Jared let out a moan, jerked, and fell back into the chair. His body shook, his muscles spasming, his chest heaving as though he couldn’t breathe. Strange sounds spewed out of his mouth, shouts and words and groans. His hands clenched the arms of the chair so tightly that Jenasen was afraid he would break his fingers.

Baron, we beg  
Your assistance from the dark realm  
Help us, we implore  
Baron come forth!

Jared’s body froze in rigor; his mouth wide in a silent scream. Suddenly he fell limp, his arms loose against his sides, his head tilted down just enough to hide his face.

Loretta stopped singing. The silence hung heavy in the room, the only sounds were their breathing.

“Is he okay?” Jensen whispered.

“Yes. The Baron is here. They’re negotiating. Hold out the rum.” Loretta instructed him. “He’ll take it from you if he decides to help us.”

Jensen extended the rum. For a moment, Jared didn’t move. Slowly his hand reached up for the crystal tumbler. Bringing it to his lips, Jensen watched as Jared closed his eyes and tossed it back, his neck working as the liquor slid down his throat. Jared drained the glass and threw it into the corner where it shattered into dozens of shards. 

Jared turned his head and stared at Jensen, a wicked smile appearing on his face. Jensen sucked in a breath as he saw Jared’s face.

It was Jared, but it wasn’t. His eyes were hollow and burning, his cheeks sunken. A hint of a skull overlaid his face. The brim of his hat shadowed his forehead. He kept his eyes locked with Jensen’s as he leaned back insolently against the chair, hips pushed out and legs spread out almost obscenely.

“Hello, Chere.” The voice coming from Jared’s mouth had a distinct Creole accent and sounded nothing like his normal one. It was dark and gravely, and sounded like ashes. “You ‘ave sometin’ for me?” He held his hand out languidly.

Jensen carefully handed him the cigar and watched as Jared--the Baron--examined it. The Baron sniffed it and made a pleased sound. “Ver’ nice. Now get me a light.” He motioned to the candles. “I don’ carry fire wit’ me.”

Before Jensen could even begin to pick one up, Loretta snapped. “No! Don’t touch the candles.” She tsked. “Baron, you know better.”

“Hush, woman,” the Baron hissed. “You want me help, yes? Then I need fire.”

“We have fire for you, not to worry.” Loretta replied shortly. “Jensen, use the matches.”

Jensen had forgotten she’d given him the box of wooden matches. Shaking one out, he struck it against the flint and watched as the flame sprang forth. He held it out to the Baron to light the cigar.

The Baron leaned forward and slid the end of the cigar into the flame. He took a deep breath and puffed out smoke as the cigar tip glowed. Before Jensen had a chance to shake the match, the Baron grabbed his wrist. He tugged Jensen closer and blew out the flame, his breath ghosting over Jensen’s wrist. It made Jensen shudder.

Jensen tried to pull his hand away from the lecherous Baron, but he tightened his grip. “Ah no, Chere, come closer.” Jensen caught Loretta’s glance. She tilted her head, silently telling him to choose. He took a step forward, letting the Baron guide him between his legs. “Much better. Now tell me, why you call the Baron?”

“My sister, Mackenzie, is missing.” Jensen held out her photo. “We are trying to find her.”

The Baron tilted his head as he regarded the photo. “She’s a pretty chile.” He leered at Jensen. “Not as pretty as you tho’.” He took another puff of the cigar and blew rings in the air. 

“Um, thank you?” Jensen was uncomfortable and wanted to end this as soon as possible. He needed answers, though. “Do you have any information you can share?”

The Baron scoffed. “I don’ want to talk about her. She does not interest me.” He leaned in towards Jensen and drawled, “Now _you_ interest me.”

This wasn’t going anywhere, Jensen thought. He needed to up the stakes, somehow get the Baron to reveal something useful. “I’ll make you a deal. If you tell me what I need to know, then we can talk about me.”

The Baron’s eyes brightened greedily. “Ohh, Chere. You I like.” He took a last puff on the cigar and ground it out on the floor. “I accep’ the deal. I will tell you what you want to know.”

The Baron closed his eyes and let go of Jensen’s wrist. He was quiet for a moment, but Jensen could see his eyes rolling around underneath his shadowed lids. “Your sister is not among my people and no grave has been dug.” He cocked his head as though he was listening, and Jensen shivered as he felt a breeze flutter the candles. “Der is unrest, tho’. Da man wit’ evil in his heart is walkin’: he prowlin’ around, looking for power. He is greedy. I don’ like him at all.” The Baron scowled fiercely.

“The man--do you know his name? What he looks like?” Jensen asked excitedly. He’d take the word of a spirit if it gave him information on Mackenzie.

“No, I don’ know his name, but I know his mark.” 

“His mark?” Jensen asked, not understanding.

“His mark!” The Baron snapped. “Mark, you know, da mark on his skin.” He gestured to Loretta. ”Mark.”

“Tattoo?” Loretta supplied.

“Yes, tattoo.” The Baron grinned at Jensen. “I know his.”

“Can you draw it?” Jensen quickly lit another one of the the sturdy wooden matches. He blew it out and handed it to the Baron, stepping away quickly.

“Of course,” Jared scoffed. He knelt and sketched a design on the wooden floor. It looked like a gridwork of diamonds with lines and hand drawn stars. Over one side of the lines there was a jagged streak that didn’t look like it was part of the tattoo. “Dis is his mark. It is broken.”

It was a pattern that Jensen had never seen before. “What does it mean?”

“It’s a power symbol,” Loretta said. “Jared will know what the jagged part is. We’ll ask him when he wakes up.”

“Now, Chere, it’s my turn.” Jared whispered in Jensen’s ear, startling him. He’d slipped behind Jensen without him noticing. His breath on Jensen’s neck sent chills down his spine. “Dis one likes you,” Jared said, pressing his body against Jensen’s. “He put his spell on you. He wanna fuck you bad.” The Baron grabbed Jensen’s hand and pulled it back to rub his cock. “See?”

Jensen tried not to groan when he felt the Baron’s erection against his palm. He tried to move his hand, but the Baron was unnaturally strong. Chuckling, the Baron licked the side of Jensen’s neck. “I wanna fuck you, too. Maybe we both fuck you, eh?” Jared undulated his hips, pressing them against Jensen’s ass, keeping his hand trapped between their bodies. “You be ours, yes?”

Jared began whispering something Jensen couldn’t understand. The words were sibilant, repetitive and hypnotic. Jensen felt his eyes flutter as the sounds wrapped around him. He thought he heard Loretta call his name but he was too enthralled to reply. His head lolled back against Jared’s shoulder and he felt his knees begin to buckle. 

“DWE ALE!” 

Loretta’s voice echoed throughout the room, snapping Jensen back to awareness. He felt Jared stumble and quickly turned around in time to catch him before he collapsed. Easing him back onto the chair, Jensen saw that Jared was unconscious.

“Here, take these.” Loretta gave him a wet cloth and a small bottle. She took the top hat and the glasses and put them on the altar. “Hold that under his nose.”

Jensen unstoppered the bottle and did as she instructed. Jared’s nose wrinkled and he weakly raised his hand to knock away the bottle. “Get that crap away from me.” Jensen was relieved to hear that Jared's voice was back to normal, with no trace of drawl or accent.

“It’s only crap when it doesn’t work,” she replied tartly. “Drink this.” She handed Jared a bottle of Gatorade with the cap off. He chugged it and handed her back the empty bottle.

“Here.” Jensen held out the wet cloth to Jared. He took it and wiped off his face and hands. 

Jared took a deep breath and looked up at Jensen. “So…the Baron. Interesting guy, huh?”

Jensen snorted. “You could say that.”

“He came on to you, didn’t he?” Jared groaned and let his head fall back against the chair. “Was it bad?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Jensen chuckled

“Did we at least get anything useful?” Jared opened one eye and looked at Jensen.

“Yeah. He said a man with evil in his heart was walking, looking for power. He had this as a tattoo.” Jensen pointed at the drawing on the floor. “Loretta said you might recognize it.”

“Fuck.” Jared’s face paled and he started to struggle out of the coat.

“You know who it is?” Jensen quickly helped him divest himself of the antique jacket. 

“I…I think so.” Jared dug his keys out of his pocket. ‘And if I’m right, we don’t have much time.”

“Time for what?” Jensen asked, dread spreading throughout his body.

“Before it’s too late.”


	5. Chapter 5

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/theatregirl7299/51658155/7392/7392_original.jpg)

Jared pushed the motorcycle as fast as the law would allow to get back to Jared’s house. He wouldn’t tell Jensen anything until they got there, saying it was better to go over it when they weren’t in a position to crash when Jensen went ballistic.

Jensen didn’t like the sound of that.

His brain was reeling. What did Jared know, and why wouldn’t he tell Jensen immediately? Images of past crimes scenes--the bloody corpses and sobbing victims--rotated faster and faster through his brain like slides from the old Viewmaster he’d had as a kid. By the time they let themselves into Jared’s house, Jensen was wired.

Jared immediately headed to the little bar and poured them each a whiskey. “Here,” he said, handing Jensen the glass. “You’re going to need this.”

Jensen took a sip, letting the liquor go down with a burn. “Talk to me.”

“Drink the whole glass first.” Jared picked up the whiskey bottle, sat down on the couch, sighed, and ran his hands through his hair. “Okay. There’s no easy way to say this. I know who took Mackenzie and you’re not going to like it.”

“Who?” Jensen demanded. “And how do you know?”

“It was Jeff.” Jared downed his drink and poured another.

“What?” Jensen said incredulously. “That’s not possible.” He sat on the chair opposite Jared. “No. No way.”

“It’s true.” Jared’s voice was firm. “The Baron was right.”

“Right about what?” Jensen couldn’t believe what Jared was saying. There was no way Jeff was responsible for Mackenzie’s disappearance. He should have known this voodo stuff was hooey. 

“The tattoo that the Baron drew for you?” Jared unbuttoned the top two buttons of his Henley. “It looked like this, right?” He pulled the edge of his shirt down to expose his collarbone.

The tattoo was the same as the pattern that the Baron had drawn on the floor. A diamond pattern with lines curled at the ends, small slashed stars with tiny crosses at the bottom.

“Yeah. That’s it exactly.” Jensen felt a cold chill down his spine. He wasn’t sure he was going to like the rest of what Jared had to say. “What the hell, Jared?”

“Jeff has the same tattoo.” Jared let his shirt settle back into place. “He and I got them done together.” He took a deep breath. “It’s the symbol for Ogoun, the Patron Loa for Power.”

“Wait – Jeff’s into voodoo?” Jensen was having trouble wrapping his head around that idea.

“And dark magic.” Jared cocked his head as he looked at Jensen. “You didn’t know?”

“No.” Jensen had to choke the words out. “Had no clue.”

Jared huffed out a breath. “And Jeff never does anything just because. There was a reason he was your friend and helped Mackenzie get into the department. For some reason he thought you’d be useful to him. Any idea why that might be?”

Jensen tried to think past the shock of Jared’s statements. “No…” he let out slowly. “Jeff’s just always been there. He was a friend of my dad’s before he died, ike an honorary uncle. After Dad's passing, he kind of took us under his wing.”

“Hmm.” Jared replied thoughtfully.

Jensen narrowed his eyes as a thought came to him. “Wait a minute, how do I know it’s not you that kidnapped Mackenzie? You have the same tattoo.”

“Good question, but it’s not me,” Jared said. “Remember the jagged part in the one the Baron drew? It's a scar where Jeff got clawed (by what?) in a ritual that went bad. I don’t have that.”

Jensen pictured the Baron's sketch, and recalled the jagged edge clearly. Jared was right--it wasn’t him. That knowledge uncoiled the tension in Jensen’s body. He really hadn’t wanted to think of Jared as an evil kidnapper, but here they were. “Okay, so it’s Jeff.” A rush of imagesflooded his mind; Jeff and his dad laughing, Jeff comforting them at his parents’ funeral, the excitement they all had shared when Mackenzie got into grad school. 

A cold anger began to burn as Jensen realized the extent of Jeff’s betrayal. All of those years. All of that feigned affection. All leading up to Jensen's littel sister missing and in, according to Jared, serious danger of her life. “How can you know where he is? He’s missing, if you recall.”

“Yeah.” Jared took another swig of his whiskey. “Thing is, I don’t. We’re going to have to do a finding ritual.”

“Okay, should be simple, right? Let’s go.” Jensen was a little surprised at himself at how blase he already was with voodoo. He stood up. “Back to Loretta’s?”

“No, we can do it here.” Jared put his glass down on the coffee table. “But Jensen, this is not going to be something simple like using Google Maps.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jeff’s got wards up to block his location or else the Baron would have found him for us,” Jared said. “It’s what I would do if I didn’t want to be found.”

“Okay, what does that mean?” 

“I’ll need to perform a search ritual that will circumvent his wards.” Jared sighed. “That’s assuming it works.”

“Okay, again. What do you need to do?” Jensen felt his exasperation rising.

“It’s a specific spell and ritual...” Jared trailed off and Jensen swore he was blushing.

“Jared, what are you not telling me?” Jensen tried not to snap from nerves because he felt the time slipping away. “Whatever it is, spit it out. We’re wasting time.”

“It needs two people because it’s a blood sex ritual.” Jared looked away after he said the words.

“Excuse me?” Jensen wasn’t sure he heard the words correctly. “A blood sex ritual? What does that even mean?”

“Yeah.” Jared stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans. “Sex and blood equal power, and we are going to need a lot of power to get past Jeff’s wards without him knowing.”

“So…we’re gonna what? Have sex and draw blood?” Jensen kept his tone calm, but inside he was trying to ignore his _what the everlasting fuck_ reaction.

“In a nutshell, yes. It’s a little more involved then that, but that’s the gist.” 

“Oookay, I’m outta here.” Jensen grabbed his coat and pulled out his phone to call a cab. 

“Jensen.” Jared put his hand over Jensen’s phone. “We need to find your sister.”

“Yeah. Like normal people! I am not going to do some crazy-ass sex spell with someone I hardly know in hopes of finding Mac!” Jensen yanked his hand away. ”We’ll tell the cops we suspect it’s him and they can start the search.”

“And how are we going to explain to them that we think it’s Jeff?” Jared shouted. “Jensen, we have no choice!”

“What do you mean?” Jensen shouted back at him.

“Because Jeff didn’t kidnap Mackenzie for a fucking tea party! He needed her to do a major spell, and if it’s what I think it is, it’ll require a human sacrifice!”

Jared was vibrating. Jensen could feel Jared’s anger, his need to act, and his power radiating off him. Somehow that changed Jensen’s anger to lust. He couldn’t help it. Jared’s eyes were whirling and Jensen could literally scent the power radiating off him. The combination of anger and lust was heady and his cock started to get hard. 

Jensen turned away and took several deep breaths to steady himself. “Okay, two questions. One--will it work?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Jared admitted. “Jeff’s pretty strong.” 

“Okay. Number two. Is there any other way to find Mackenzie?”

“No.” Jared was firm on that. “Not one that’s fast enough.”

Jensen was silent as he tried to contain his flash of desire for Jared. It was all wrong--the wrong time, the wrong emotion. But he’d seen magic work, so he was more of a believer now. Plus the more time they wasted, the less time Mackenzie had. It was not the way he wanted to have sex with Jared, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. He blew out a breath, expelling his want and trying to think straight. “Fine. Let’s do it.”

Jared peered at him from under his bangs. “You sure about this.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah. We need to find Mackenzie.” Jensen realized that really he had no choice. What was participating in a blood sex ritual versus facing certain death?

“Okay then. Follow me.”

It was time. Jeff was almost finished organizing his tools. He’d run a pre-ritual cleansing earlier that day: sharpening his athame, purifying the brass bowls, washing down the temporary altar on the floor, strengthening the circle.

He had the spell ready. Not just simple voodoo this time--this time he was going to use the dark blood magic. He didn’t need the Baron or Papa Legba or any of the Loa interfering with his grab for power.

He had the ingredients ready as well. Acacia, grave dust, the skull of a stillborn child, anise seed and betel nut to increase his power, cedar oil, black candles. Water steeped with mullein for anointing the sacrifice.

And of course the spell itself. He’d found it in an ancient book that he’d had to kill a former teaching assistant for. They’d never found that body because the spell Jeff had used had disintegrated the corpse. Convenient disposal--one he would use for this ritual as well. No need for Jensen to see the final state of his sister’s remains.

Jeff sighed as he placed the candles close to the silver ritual knife. Mackenzie Ackles. He was going to miss her. She was probably the best of all his teaching assistants. Smart, intuitive, and oh so very powerful. But Jeff already knew that. He’d watched over the family ever since he met Alan Ackles many years ago. The Ackles were like supernovas of power. Jeff had felt that power when he met Alan, and subsequently looked into their genealogy. It was a happy surprise to find that the Ackles clan was descended from a bloodline of Scottish witches. Too bad Jeff had had to stage an accident to get rid of Alan and his wife in order to gain control of Jensen and Mackenzie. 

But thanks to little acquisitions--a spell here, some herbs there--he was able to prepare that power for tonight’s ritual. Mackenzie would prove her use and he would have control over all the witches in the Crescent City. 

A predatory smile crossed Jeff’s face. His anticipation was growing; the thought of all that power gave him an almost sexual thrill. He checked everything once more and was satisfied that everything was in place.

Time to start.

Jared led them to his storage room and opened the door. He switched on the lights and turned to Jensen. “Welcome to my workroom.”

Jensen smirked at him. “Storage, huh?”

Jared smiled sheepishly. “Easiest explanation. Keeps people out of my business.”

“I can understand that.” Jensen blew a breath out. “Okay, how do we do this?” He rubbed his hands nervously on his jeans. He didn’t know which was worse; participating in a ritual like this or having sex with Jared. Jensen’s mouth was dry and he could feel the arousal start to pool low in his belly. 

“I need to get a few things ready.” Jared gestured to a cushion up against one wall. “Why don’t you sit down and try to center yourself.”

Jensen laughed. “Yeah, right.” He moved over to the cushion and sat down. “Not sure how to do that.”

“Just work at clearing your mind. I need for you to be rid of your worries. Think about positive things.” Jared began collecting things from his storage closet.

Mackenzie heard the floor creak. She raised her head off the mattress, her body exhausted from stress, crying, and screaming. A click, and the door opened, light spilling in behind the figure standing in the space. She tried to sit up, but her weakened muscles gave out and she fell back onto the mattress.

“Help,” she croaked. “Help me…”

The figure entered the room, still in shadow. Mackenzie felt hands lift her up and carry her out of the space. She squinted, her eyes not ready to see in normal light. The smell of good whiskey and cigars tickled her nose.

“J-Jeff?”

“Yeah, sweetheart, it’s me.” Mackenzie was never so happy to hear his deep voice. “I’ve got you. Gonna take you somewhere safe.”

“Oh god. Jeff. It was Jared! He kidnapped me!” She started to cry in relief at being rescued. 

“Actually, Jared is innocent. He just walked you back to your apartment.” Mackenzie felt alarm bells going off as his arms tightened around her. “It was someone a hell of a lot more dangerous.” He laughed darkly. “Me.”

Mackenzie started to struggle. “Jeff, put me down!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that just yet.” Jeff shifted her and wrapped an arm around her neck. “We need to head upstairs first.”

Mackenzie blacked out before he touched the stairs.

Jensen watched Jared move about the room, preparing the elements for the ritual. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused on clearing his mind like Jared suggested. He began to relax, using Jared as his focus. He’d seen him naked, but now he imagined what it would be like to touch that body that he’d seen. Running his hands over the muscles, kissing his nipples; licking the tattoo on his collarbone. Feeling Jared’s cock stuffed inside him, hitting all the right places.

“You’re not clearing your mind,” he heard Jared say. “I can hear it from over here.”

Jensen blushed, hoping that wasn’t true considering he was thinking about fucking Jared. “Sorry.”

Jared came over and squatted in front of him. “It’s okay. Let me help.” He put his hands on Jensen’s knees. “Focus on my breathing.”

Jensen felt more than heard Jared breathing in and out. He did as Jared suggested, breathing in and out. Slowly, Jensen felt himself calm, finding a space where all that mattered was the slow inhale and exhale of his breath.

“Good,” Jared said softly. “Now listen to my words.” Jared began chanting in a low voice. Jensen didn’t understand what he was saying, but it resonated with him. As the words flowed over him, Jensen felt himself giving himself over to Jared. Trusting him to take care of them during the ritual.

“Better?” Jared said softly.

“Yeah,” Jensen replied.

Okay. You ready to do this?” Jared’s hands left Jensen’s knees and took his hands, helping Jensen stand up.

Jensen looked at Jared. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

Once they were in Jeff’s workroom, he stepped into the circle and laid Mackenzie down on the low altar. He poured the steeped water onto a silk cloth and wiped down her body, purifying it for the ritual. Jeff positioned her arms and legs to his satisfaction and secured them with a quick spell. Placing the candles at the true compass points, he took his athame and drew the circle, lighting the candles at each spot. Satisfied with his work, Jeff cut a hole in the circle so he could access the items he needed for the ritual.

Jeff centered himself, then lit the incense. Myrrh and yew wafted through the room, their odor pungent and cloying. Jeff began the initial chant, gathering power to support the spell.

_North, South, East, West, come to me  
Earth, Air, Fire, Water, come to me   
Beings above and beings below, come to me  
Power and energy, come to me._

He sprinkled the grave dust and the anise seeds onto Mackenzie’s torso and placed the skull onto her chest. Picking up the bowl, he added cedar oil, bat’s head root, and galangal, stirring them lightly with the athame. A small word of power uttered, and the mixture started to glow. Pleased, Jeff patted Mackenzie’s cheek. 

She needed to be awake for this.

“Okay.” Jared walked over to the closet and returned with two robes. One was red silk, just like the robe Jensen had seen Jared wear in his dream. The other one was a deep emerald green. Jared handed that one to Jensen. “i need you to change into this.”

Jensen hesitated, then turned around and started undressing. This was no place for modesty, he knew that. He folded his clothes and put them in a neat pile next to the cushion. “So, um, can you tell me what I should expect?” He asked over his shoulder to Jared. “What does the ritual contain?”

“It’s actually pretty simple,” Jensen heard Jared say as Jensen put on the robe. “It consists of herbs in oil that we’ll apply to each other’s body while reciting a small chant. Then I’ll use a ritual knife and mark you with a sigil, then you’ll do the same to me. We’ll mingle our blood what I recite another part of the spell, then we’ll have sex. Finally we’ll close the ritual.”

“You make it sound so matter of fact,” Jensen commented dryly. “Doesn’t sound intimate at all.”

“Oh, it’ll be intimate, don’t worry.” Jared’s voice was rough and sent a burst of want through Jensen’s body. He shivered in anticipation. Turning around, he lost his breath. 

Jared looked magnificent. He was even better than in his dream. The robe was open, just like before, but the rich red against Jared’s skin made his skin look bronze against the silk. As he moved closer to Jensen, the robe shifted, showing off his trim waste and the dramatic cut of his hip. Jensen wanted to drop to his knees and worship that cut; wanted to suck a bruise right there and mark Jared.

The soft swirls of hair on Jared’s chest caught Jensen’s eye next and he wanted to run his fingers through that bit of fur. His eyes trailed down to Jared’s taut stomach and then lower as he followed the neatly trimmed treasure trail to Jared’s cock.

Jensen had thought his dream had exaggerated Jared’s size and length, but obviously he was wrong. Jared’s cock was beautiful and big, even flaccid like it was right now. He was definitely a shower AND a grower. Jensen wasn’t necessarily a size queen, but looking at Jared’s dick, he thought he could learn to be. Jared’s balls were beautiful too. Perfectly shaped, lightly furred and hanging heavy, just waiting to be fondled.

“Wow.” Jensen came back to attention when he heard Jared’s voice. “God, Jensen, you’re beautiful.”

Jensen blushed at the awe in Jared’s voice. “Um, thank you?” He wasn’t used to compliments on his body. It had been a while since he’d been naked in front of anyone.

“No, really.” Jared came closer and reached a hand out, almost touching Jensen. “Your body is amazing. God, I can’t wait to get my hands on you. Help me get set up.”

Jared moved over to the storage, and took out several red, white, and black candles, handing them to Jensen. “Here, we need these to enhance what we’ll be doing. Place the red and black candles on the compass corners of the circle and put the white candles at what will be the head and feet.”

Jensen did as Jared asked. “Like this?”

“Perfect.” Jared was finishing up at the altar. “Okay, see that thin mat against the wall? Go ahead and lay it down then kneel on it with your back to one of the white candles.” 

“What’s it for?” Jensen asked, placing the mat and kneeling as Jared instructed.

Jared chuckled. “My knees and your back. Wood floors are rough on the body.”

“Oh.” Jensen felt embarrassed that he didn’t think of that. “So, what now.”

“Now comes the fun part.” Jared kneeled down in front of Jensen, not quite in his personal bubble but almost. He put down a brass bowl, knife, and a silk cloth. “We’re going with traditional magic, not voodoo, so we don’t need to call up any guides or spirits.” Jared made a sigil in the air and said, “ _Lux_ ,” and the candles burst into flame. Jared then clapped and the lights went out, leaving them bathed in candlelight. “That’s not magic, it’s just the Clapper. Clap on, clap off. Silly, but it’s just convenient.”

Jensen laughed---that bit of normalcy made things easier. “Hey whatever works.”

“Okay. Before we get started there’s one thing I need to do first.” Jared murmured something that sounded like Creole and touched Jensen’s chest. Jensen felt a tug and then nothing. “What was that for?”

Jared flushed and bent his head. “I...um...put a mark on you when you first got here.”

“A mark?” Jensen didn’t like the sound of that. “What kind of mark?”

“An affection mark. I wasn’t sure you’d be interested in me, so I asked the Loa for help.”

“You put a love spell on me?” Jensen couldn’t believe it. How could Jared take liberties like that? 

“Yeah. And I had to take it off so your feelings would be true during the ritual.” Jared looked beseechingly at Jensen. “Can we talk about it later? We really need to start the ritual.” 

Jensen was silent. So did that mean he wasn’t attracted to Jared? Was it all a farce? He looked at Jared, really looked at him, and still felt the stirrings of desire. Maybe it meant nothing. But it still hurt that Jared had done that. “We’ll talk about it later. What’s first.”


	6. Chapter 6

Mackenzie struggled back to consciousness. She started coughing, the incense filling her lungs. Her attempt to roll over was met with resistance. She blearily looked at her wrists and realized they were not tied down. Why couldn’t she move? She tugged again and still was unable to budge.

“You’re not going anywhere so you might as well relax.” Jeff’s voice was amused. “Remember that binding spell we laughed about at the office last month? It really works.” 

“Jeff, please let me go,” Mackenzie pleaded. “I promise I won’t tell anyone about this. Especially Jensen.”

“Can’t do that. You’re too important.” 

“For what?” Her brain was fuzzy and she couldn’t understand what Jeff was doing. A cool breeze wafted over her as Jeff moved closer and she shivered. “Jeff, what are you doing!” She started to hyperventilate and saw the skull on her chest. “Oh god, oh, god, oh god….”

“God’s not part of this, Mac. At least not your god.” Jeff held up the silver anthame. “Now _my_ god – that’s a different story.” She felt the cool blade touch her skin and started to scream.

“First, close your eyes, clear your mind and listen to what I’m saying. You’ll feel me touch you so don’t be too startled. After a while, you’ll repeat my motions and the words.”

“Okay.” Jensen closed his eyes and got ready. He felt Jared shift, then there was a hand on his chest. Jared’s fingers ghosted lightly over his pecs, massaging the fragrant oil into his skin. Jensen smelled lavender and rose and some other scents he wasn’t familiar with. Jared began to speak, soft at first, then louder so Jensen could hear him.

“Blessed in ritual, blessed in spirit, blessed in blood.” And again, over and over. Jensen lost himself in the mantra; the feel of Jared’s hands over his body, moving over Jensen’s chest, his stomach, his thighs. Jensen’s cock started to fill, jerking a bit every time Jared’s fingers got close.

“Okay, your turn,” Jared whispered.

Jensen opened his eyes and saw Jared, cheeks flushed and eyes dark with desire. God, did he want to touch Jared. Jensen dipped his fingers in the bowl of oil and gently touched Jared’s chest, just like he’d touched Jensen’s. “Blessed in ritual, blessed in spirit, blessed in blood.” He repeated it just like Jared had, soft at first, then louder. Jared closed his eyes and leaned into Jensen’s hands as they worked themselves over Jared’s body.

Jared’s cock was standing at attention, thick and ruddy, precome dripping from the tip. Jensen’s mouth watered. He really hoped that he could either get his mouth on it or Jared would fuck him soon. Jensen moved closer to Jared -- it felt like the right thing to do -- and their cocks brushed together.

Jensen smiled as he heard Jared gasp at the touch. It felt good that he was feeling what Jensen was feeling. He dipped his fingers back in the bowl and massaged Jared’s thighs and lower stomach, intentionally brushing their cocks.

“Naughty boy.” Jared’s voice was low.

“Just doing what you instructed me to do, oh master magician.” Jensen grinned as he heard Jared’s breath hitch. “Oh, you like that?”

“Yeah,” Jared breathed. “Okay, take off your robe.” Jared slithered out of his and was gloriously naked. Jensen quickly did the same, eager to experience what was next.

Jared moved closer, slid his hands behind Jensen’s knees and with one tug, had him on his back. _Fuck!_ Jensen gazed up at Jared looming over him and had to close his eyes or he would come right then. 

“Damn it, Jensen. What you do to me.” Jared’s voice was hoarse. “Okay, okay...focus, Jared…” Jared took a deep breath. “I’m going to continue on with the spell. You need to repeat what we’ve been saying after me.”

“Got it.” Thank god there was something for him to do. Being this close to Jared was hard enough. 

Jared picked up the ritual knife, held it up high, and began the second part of the spell

“ _Oh Higher ones, bless this ritual blade.  
Give us eyes for sight  
hearts for strength  
Minds for knowledge  
Aid us in our search._”

He nodded at Jensen.

“Blessed in ritual, blessed in spirit, blessed in blood.” Jensen intoned.

Jared repeated the chant two more times, with Jensen answering. He placed the knife of Jensen’s chest, leaned forward and captured Jensen’s lips. Instinctively Jensen arched his back, pulling Jared down to get more. Jared tasted like nothing he knew and everything that was familiar. Jensen opened his mouth wider so Jared could plunder it with his tongue. Jensen’s brain short circuited and all he could think of was _pleasure_.

Jeff smiled as the athame glided slowly across Mackenzie’s belly and a thin ribbon of blood bubbled up. Mackenzie’s sobs echoed throughout the room and her struggles made it difficult to keep a straight line.

Jeff needed her to settle down. “Stop crying,” he ordered.

“Why are you doing this?” She sobbed. “Jeff, it hurts. Please stop.”

“Sorry, that’s not an option.” Jeff carefully made another slice, keeping the line as straight as possible. “As to why? Without sounding like I’m monologuing--power. I need it. I want it. You can give it to me.”

“I don’t understand. I don’t have any power.” Mackenzie kept sobbing. 

Jeff gazed at her, relishing the terror in her eyes. “You’re wrong. Your whole family has power.” He leaned down until he could feel her panting breaths on his cheek. “Why do you think I watched over you and Jensen? Not because I liked it.”

“You bastard!” Mackenzie bit his jowl, her teeth breaking the skin and drawing blood.

“Fuck!” Jeff cursed. He backhanded her. “Bitch!.” He covered the wound with his hand. Stepping out of the circle, he grabbed a cloth and stemmed the blood. He fished for the bottle of yarrow powder and opened the stopper one-handed. Sprinkling some on the cloth, Jeff rubbed it on the wound and soon the bleeding stopped.

“Fucking cunt. Don’t try that again.” Mackenzie started screaming. Jeff slapped her again. “It’s soundproof. No one will hear you. How stupid do you think I am?”

Mackenzie said nothing, her body going limp and her sobs dwindling to snuffles. Jeff saw her turn her head away from him and knew she was giving up. He sighed. He’d thought she’d last longer

He continued with the athame, creating the bloody sigil needed for the completion of the spell. Rivers of crimson began to pool on the sides of Mackenzie’s body. Once he was done carving, he dipped his finger in the glowing bowl and marked the corners of the sigil, smearing a bit of blood. As Mackenzie’s skin began to shimmer, she started to whimper and moan low.

“Oh god, it burns. Make it stop!” She moaned.

Jeff just laughed. “Sweetheart, you ain’t felt nothing yet.”

Jensen had no idea how long they were kissing, but at some point Jared pulled back, panting. “Was that part of the ritual?” Jensen asked with a gasp.

“No, that was strictly for me.” Jared replied. “Plus I realized I hadn’t kissed you yet and I wanted to get one in before I had to cut you.”

“Mighty kind of you,” Jensen said. “Can I have another?”

“Sure.” This one was soft and light. More like a promise than a demand and Jensen thoroughly enjoyed it. When it was over, Jared ran a finger down Jensen’s cheek. “Okay, here’s where the hard work begins. No matter what comes next, I need you to concentrate on Jeff and where he might be.”

“Oh that’s romantic.” Jensen muttered.

“It’s not about romance, it’s about power,” Jared replied. “Trust me, the pleasure will still be there.” He lifted the knife and placed it against Jensen’s chest. “I’ll make the first sigil then repeat the phrase, then it’s your turn and we go from there.”

Jensen tensed as the blade pressed into his skin but it only felt like a scratch. “Blessed in ritual, blessed in spirit, blessed in blood.” He looked down at the sigil and saw that it was very simple; a diamond with a line through it. He took the knife from Jared and repeated the image, trying very hard not the cut too deeply. Luckily the knife had been honed to a very sharp edge. 

Two more sigils and they were done. Jared took the blade and placed it next to the bowl. He dipped his fingers into the oil again and gently rubbed the over Jensen’s chest and stomach. “The herbs are medicinal as well as magical. They’ll help with the pain.”

Jensen did the same for Jared, loving the feel of him under his fingers. His mouth watered in anticipation because the only thing left was the sex part of the ritual. He was still hard, which amazed him. Jensen finished ministering to Jared before sliding his hand down and grabbing Jared’s cock. “Been wanting to do this since my dream,” he said.

“Oh god, feels so good!” Jared bucked forward into Jensen’s hand. “But we...gotta...finish…” he gasped.

Jensen let go and lay back. “I’m all yours.”

Jared wrapped a hand around Jensen’s cock and started jacking him slowly. “This is the part where we really need to concentrate. You’re gonna feel warm, like energy is coursing through you…”

“Jared?” Jensen ground out.

“Yeah?” Jared replied, rubbing right under Jensen’s cockhead.

“Stop talking and fuck me.”

Mackenzie’s skin was on fire. She sobbed at the pain. She knew this was it – she was going to die and Jeff would be the one who killed her. She tried to think through the pain; were there any clues to Jeff’s nature that could have clued them? She couldn’t find any. Jeff had always been right there, helping them when their parents passed, lending a hand in getting her into grad school, hanging out with Jensen when he came to visit.

Oh god, Jensen.

She cried harder at the thought of him. He was going to be alone without her. She knew Jeff would spirit her away so Jensen would never know what happened to her. He would always keep looking.

“Oh, Jensen,” she whispered brokenly.

“Yeah. Poor Jensen,” Jeff replied. “So sad that he’ll never know what really happened to you.”

“I hate you!” She ground out against the pain. “Motherfucker!”

Jeff laughed at her. She could hear his arrogance and it twisted her gut more than the agony. She wished there was something she could do.

She closed her eyes and began to pray.

“Okay.” Jared squeezed one more time and dropped down to caress Jensen’s balls. His other hand snuck lower and Jensen could feel the oil as it touched his rim. _Oh yes here it goes_ he thought as Jared circled his hole and slowly pushed a finger in; readying him for Jared’s humongous cock.

“Damn it, Jensen, you feel so good. Can’t wait to get inside you. Will you let me inside you?” Jared was babbling, but Jensen couldn’t care less.

“Fuck yes!” answered Jensen, breathing hard. Jared quickly lined up and slid deep, making Jensen keen with the pleasure/pain. God, Jared was so big. Jensen felt stuffed, immediately missing it when Jared pulled back. “Oh damn, deeper, need you deeper!”

Jared obliged, hiking Jensen’s legs over his thighs and thrusting harder to get inside him. “Like that? That good?”

“Oh fuck yes!” Jensen moaned, feeling warmth flood him like the energy Jared had spoken of. He focused on that and it ratcheted up the pleasure as Jared pounded into him. He felt so good he wanted to give back some of that to Jared.

As he thought that, Jensen felt like a conduit opened--that he and Jared were connected in body and spirit. Jensen’s body felt like it was on fire; the want, the need, the desire spinning back and forth between him and Jared, building up for both of them, edging them to the pinnacle.

Jeff began the spell.

By candle flame, We chant Her name  
With incense smoke, Hecate invoke

Her howling black dog, and Her sacred frog.  
With knife and cords, and magic words

Her snake sheds skin, to end and begin,  
She holds the key, To unlock mystery

With willow and yew, Magic comes through  
She takes us down, to the underground.

He knew the spell was working when he heard a distant howl of a dog, mournful and eerie. With a hoarse laugh he continued.

Power comes and power goes  
Open the portal to gain it all.

Gather the energy, from man and beast  
Hand over the rule from greatest to least

Crown the King, with powers call  
Oh mighty Hecate, grant it all.

Suddenly a wind began blowing in the room, causing the candles to sputter then flame up. Jeff knew they wouldn’t blow out, they were magically spelled. A puff of smoke at Mackenzie’s feet coalesced into a croaking frog, then another at her hands and head. The howling dog drew nearer as the mixture in the bowl and the points on Mackenzie’s skin began to smoke.

She screamed and writhed, blood streaming down her sides, but was held down by the magical constraints.

The smoke started to thicken above Mackenzie’s body, shaping into a female form. Long dark hair swayed in the wind, a long dress pooled at her feet. Her eyes were dark and glittering, her skin white and bloodless.

_I am here._

“Mighty Hecate, I am your servant in all things,” Jeff intoned, his head bowed in supplication.

_What do you seek?_

“Power over the witches in New Orleans,”. Jeff replied reverently. “I come bearing a sacrifice that I hope is pleasing to you.”

The Goddess looked down at Mackenzie and nodded. _It is pleasing._

Jeff grinned and held the bowl against Mackenzie’s neck.

“Oh god, gonna come!” Jared leaned over Jensen, chests touching, blood smearing, pistoning into Jensen like a jackhammer. Jensen felt his balls tighten up and his orgasm burst out of him. He sobbed as white ribbons of semen shot over their bellies, so much that he didn’t think he’d ever stop coming.

Jared was right there with him, plunging into Jensen, one, two, three more times then stilling with a shout.

Mackenzie could sense the power from Hecate growing in the room, swirling in almost visibly. This was the end--she knew she was never making it out of here. All she felt was pain. She prayed harder--not for herself, but for Jensen. All of her focus was on her brother; hoping he’d be safe, that Jeff wouldn’t do to him what he had done to her, that he would have a happy life. A frisson of power and love racked her body, releasing her from the pain and torment for a single moment before off like a dove in twilight.

As the knife slid across her skin, she didn’t feel anything anymore.

As Jared and Jensen clutched each other, locked in the grip of their climaxing, the room started shaking violently. Candles fell over and the altar was banging against the wall, glass bottles shattering. Wind blew papers up in the air and energy sparked around their bodies.

Jensen’s vision turned gold, and he felt he was sailing up in the stars in a way he had never experienced before. He dimly wondered if this was the magic at work.

He saw Mackenzie’s face there too, glowing and beautiful as she blew him a kiss.

Jeff quickly sliced through Mackenzie’s neck and caught the blood as it spurted out of her carotid. Raising the bowl up once the blood slowed to a dribble, he chanted. “Oh mighty Hecate, blood for power is my gift to you. Take it and be appeased.”

The Goddess smiled and the room went white.

The white swirled into a vortex, smoke and energy spinning, flipping the pages of the spellbook. The black dog howled again, this time fading away as the smoke and energy cleared.

Jeff raised his head, feeling the power surge within him. He laughed at the feeling, turning around with his arms raised as he marveled at it. He needed to try it out immediately. Closing his eyes, he called up a vision of the Dean of the Humanities Department. He never liked the little fucker. Always had his nose in Jeff’s business. A heart attack would work. Jeff spiraled the magic, pushed and… 

…nothing.

“What the…?” Jeff tried again. Still nothing. Slowly the euphoria dissipated. So did the feeling of power. The new amount _and_ some of his. He felt the drain and quickly threw up wards to keep what he had.

“No, no, no.” He tried a third time and couldn’t even call up a simple candle flame.

It was gone. 

Jeff screamed in frustration.

He’d failed.


	7. Chapter 7

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/theatregirl7299/51658155/8738/8738_original.jpg)

Jensen wasn’t sure if he had truly passed out, but when he came to in an utter mess. He sluggishly turned his head to see lamps knocked onto the floor, glass bottles broken, papers and detritus everywhere. It looked like a hurricane had swept into the room. Jared was still on top of him, unmoving.

“Hey, Jared. Jared!” Jensen called softly into Jared’s ear. “You okay?”

Jared groaned and raised his head. “Yeah. Think so.” Jensen winced as Jared pulled out. “What the hell happened?”

“No clue. You’re the practitioner," Jensen replied as tartly as he could manage in his current boneless state. “Did the ritual work?”

“Yeah.” Jared groaned as he stood up, cock now hanging limply. “Jeff’s at his house. I saw him preparing a ritual. We need to go.”

Jensen sat up and grabbed the cloth to wipe himself down. “Gimme five minutes to get dressed and then we’re out of here.”

Looking over at Jared, Jensen thought he saw a golden glow in Jared’s eyes that quickly disappeared. _Must be a reflection from the candles_ he thought, following Jared to prepare for the confrontation with Jeff.

They were silent as they dressed and armed themselves to go to Jeff’s house. Jensen made sure his Colt was ready and brought extra clips. He slipped his knife in his boot, wincing as his shirt pulled on the cuts on his chest. He glanced over at Jared, who was preparing herbs and other magic items he’d said they would need to fight Jeff.

Jared looked different. Whatever happened during the ritual, it had changed him. Jensen wasn’t sure how. He just seemed more vibrant, more centered. Just... _more_.

Jensen was going to ask him about it when Jared spoke. “Okay. Let’s go. And Jensen? Be prepared for anything.” He strode out of the house before Jensen had a chance to ask him what he meant.

Jensen was left with his thoughts as they drove to Jeff’s house. He’d been there a few times, but it always took his breath away. It was one of the big , picturesque houses in the garden district. Jensen had wondered how a professor could afford such a large, historic house, but Jeff had explained he'd inherited it from his grandfather. With what Jensen knew now about Jeff, he wondered if that had really been the case.

The house loomed in front of them, yellow crime tape stretched across the entrance. It looked even more foreboding considering what they might find inside. Jensen said a quick prayer and shuddered. 

Jared looked at him. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” He unholstered his gun and clicked off the safety. “Let’s go.”

“Let’s hope the house wards are down. There are witches on the police force, and I’m pretty sure Jeff wouldn’t want them to know he set up the crime scene by leaving them active.” Jared murmured a few words but nothing seemed to happen. “Good, they’re still down.” Jensen watched as he recited a few more words as he quietly opened the door. They ducked under the crime tape and entered the house. 

It was unexpectedly quiet. Dust motes floated in the rays of sun streaming through the windows. Very little seemed out of place in the foyer. If it weren’t for the black dust from the CSU investigation, Jensen would have sworn nothing was wrong. 

He moved close to Jared so he could whisper. “Where are we headed?”

Jared whispered back. “I’ve never been above the main floor, but I can feel magic above us. My guess is he’s probably on the third floor. If it were me, I’d be as high as I could get.”

“Top floor it is then,” Jensen replied

They headed upstairs, treading carefully in case the stairs squeaked. Jensen couldn’t help but admire his surroundings. Rich mahogany paneling, plush carpet, paintings on the walls that Jensen was sure were originals. It never occurred to him until now that Jeff had never invited him over to his house. They had always met at a bar or restaurant or Jeff’s office. He cursed quietly, how had he missed something so obvious.

“What?” Jared turned and as softly.

“Just cursing myself that I missed things like never being invited over here.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. My guess is if Jeff didn’t want you here, you wouldn’t have thought there was something wrong with that.” He waved his hand. “Did you ever think or ask about coming over here and either the topic changed or the idea just left your mind?”

Jensen nodded. “Yeah.”

“That was Jeff. He either cast a small spell or did something to affect your thoughts.” Jared smiled sadly at him. “Not your fault.”

“I’m going to kill him.” Jensen muttered. 

Jared stopped and put his finger to his lips. They were on the third floor. There were several doors, all closed. Jensen hoped Jared could tell which one was Jeff’s workroom because they needed at least some element of surprise.

Any angry shout followed by the sound of breaking glass came from behind the door in front of them. It was definitely Jeff. So much for deciphering which door, Jensen thought, and he took a few steps forward before Jared pulled him back.

“He’s gonna have wards here, no doubt,” Jared whispered in Jensen’s ear. “Let me go first.”

There wasn’t anything Jensen could do but wait as Jared dug inside his duffle and pulled out a packet of crushed herbs. He sketched a sigil in the air in front of the door, opened the packet and blew the herbs towards it. They hung in the air for a moment and then scattered to the floor.

“Quick, this won’t last.” Jared stepped back and motioned to Jensen.

With a feral grin, Jensen kicked the door open.

What greeted them was a scene right out of Jensen’s nightmares.

Mackenzie’s bloodstained body lay on a low riser. Her arms and legs were spread eagled and there was a huge bloody gash across her neck. Blood matted her hair. Her skin was pale and her eyes were open and lifeless. 

They were too late.

Jensen cried out in anguish, “MAC!” and raced over to her. Lifting up her body he cried brokenly, “No, no, no…” He stroked her cheek, feeling the last bit of warmth leave her body. 

“You’re too late, Jensen.” Jeff’s voice was mocking. “Such a shame.”

“Why, Jeff? Why did you do this?” Jensen’s tears blurred his vision.

“Because I wanted power. That’s all you two were to me. A way to get power. But something happened and it didn’t work. So she was useless to me after all.”

Looking up at Jeff with rage in his eyes, Jensen ground out, “I’m gonna kill you.” Laying MacKenize down, he got to his feet and pointed his gun at Jeff.

Jeff just laughed and sketched a sigil in the air. An electric glow materialized around Jensen. “Give it a try. No way you’ll get past that ward.”

Jensen pulled the trigger and nothing. “Shit.” His gun had jammed. Tossing it down, he charged Jeff. He hit the ward and bounced back onto the floor. It felt like he’d hit a concrete wall. Gasping for breath, he stayed down while he tried to clear the dizziness from his head.

“Jeff!” Jared’s voice was strong and commanding. Jensen saw Jeff turn to Jared with a condescending look.

“You!” Jeff responded with a sneer. “Why am I not surprised you’re here.” Before Jared had a chance to reply, Jensen saw Jeff’s eyes narrow. “YOU have it! The power. How?”

The smile Jared gave him was anything but pleasant. “Some of us have skills that you can’t even begin to realize.”

“You did the _seremoni rayisab yu_!” Jeff hissed.

“Yep. And somehow your ritual transferred to me. That’s how I got the power.” 

“No! It’s mine!” Jeff barreled into Jared and they crashed against the altar. Everything fell on the ground and slid across the floor. Herb jars, bowls, stirring sticks scattered under their feet. Jeff punched Jared, knocking him to the floor. Jared scrambled to the side and kicked Jeff’s legs out from under him. Lunging at him, Jared managed to get in a few punches of his own before Jeff was able to roll away from him.

Jensen felt helpless. He was trapped in this circle with no way to aid Jared. All he could do was watch and pray that Jared would vanquish Jeff.

Jeff clambered to his feet, wiping the blood from his lip where Jared had split it. “Okay, okay. Let’s talk about this rationally.” He held his hands out to Jared. “The power, Jared. It must have come from Jensen somehow. His line is powerful. If we sacrifice him, it’ll be enough for both of us. We can share it. Can you just imagine what that would be like? You and me, ruling all of New Orleans.”

Jensen felt magic swell up and circle Jared, making him glow. 

“See how good it feels? Just sharing a little bit of power?” Jeff’s voice was soft as velvet and Jensen was horrified to see Jared take a step towards Jeff. “The two of us together will be stronger than even Papa Legba and the Baron. You’ll have anything you want. Success? Money? Enough for both of us.”

“Jared, no!” Jensen shouted to him. “You don’t want this!” Jared looked at him, his eyes gleaming. Jensen heard Jeff laugh.

“You want him?” Jeff waved a hand at Jensen. “You can have him. Hell, we don’t even have to kill him, just drain him enough. That mark Mistress Erzrlie put on him is nothing compared to what we can do. He’ll be your slave and love being at your command. Just agree to share this with me.”

Jeff’s voice continued hypnotically shifting from cajoling Jared to whispering spells. Jared seemed in a daze, slowly approaching Jeff. 

Jensen had to do something. “Jared, no!” This time he screamed it, hoping it would get through. Jared looked at Jensen with his head tilted, like he was studying a bug. “Please, Jared. Don’t do this. You’re better than that.”

“Shut up, Jensen.” Jeff snarled. “Why would Jared listen to you?”

“Because…” Jensen started. “Because we care about each other.”

Jeff threw back his head and laughed. “You think he cares about you? That’s a joke. He’s just obsessed with you. That’s why he had a Loa put that mark on you.” Jeff scoffed again. “Just look at him. He’s considering whether we should kill you or just drain you. That’s not caring. That’s the power.”

He turned back to Jared and spoke a few more words. “Trust me Jensen, this’ll only hurt for a short time.” Jeff began gathering the tools from the floor.

Jensen paced the circle. Here he was, trapped with magic with no way to defend himself. _Damn it._ His gun didn’t work and he wasn’t sure if he could win against Jared and Jeff physically even without any magic they might use.

A slight breeze ruffled the back of Jensen’s hair and he swore he heard a slight whisper. 

_Jensen_.

He knew there wasn’t anyone else in the room except the three of them. He turned his head towards where he thought the sound had come from.

_Jensen_.

This time the voice was accompanied by a light scent of orange blossoms; just like the perfume he buys--bought--for Mackenzie every year at Christmas. Jensen took a chance. “Mac?” He whispered. The breeze touched his cheek just like a caress.

_Knife_

_Knife?_. Jensen was puzzled until a light clicked on in his head. Looking around the floor, he saw a ritual knife halfway under the platform where MacKenzi’s body lay. Slowly he inched over towards it, making sure that he didn’t capture Jeff’s attention. His hand clamped over the handle of the knife. 

Jensen watched as Jeff and Jared moved around the altar. He needed something to get Jared away from Jeff, but he was at a loss as to what to do. Getting Jeff immobilized had to be the first thing, though. He had to determine when the best time would be to throw the knife. That was assuming the knife would break the circle. Jensen had no idea if it would work or not. Plus he’d never thrown a knife before. The closest thing he’d ever thrown was a baseball.

He hefted the knife, trying to learn its weight. He figured it was silver; it had a bone handle with sigils carved into the bone. He winced at the blood staining the blade. Mackenzie’s blood. 

Jensen returned his gaze to Jeff. He was going to have to get Jeff’s attention, get him to turn so he would face Jensen, and hope that Jared didn’t get in the way. Then he’d throw the knife.

_Fini mal la._ Mackenzie’s voice whispered. Jensen didn’t know what that meant. “I don’t understand,” he whispered back. Mackenzie’s voice echoed again _End the Evil._ The words chilled Jensen at the same time it sent a feeling of power throughout his body. He understood. Mackenzie wanted him to use those words when he threw the knife. 

_Okay, here goes nothing._. “Hey Jeff!” Jensen called out.

Jeff stopped his preparations and turned to Jensen. “Shut up! Your turn is coming.”

Jensen stepped closer to the ward, giving himself enough space to throw the knife. He kept it low against his side, hoping Jeff wouldn’t see it. “”Doesn’t the condemned man get a last meal?” He said brazenly. “I could use a plate of beignets and a pot of coffee.”

Jeff snorted. “You always were a little shit.” He turned back and tossed over his shoulder. “Sorry, Jensen. No last meal.”

_Shit._. Jeff hadn’t turned around far enough to give Jensen a chance. _Looks like I’m going to need to rile him up._

“Hey Jeff!” Jensen called again. “Are you sure you’re capable of doing this ritual? After all, you fucked it up with Mackenzie.”

“Shut up!” Jeff hissed. 

“I mean, look at Jared. He stole your power immediately. Who’s to say he won’t do it again and you’ll be stuck playing second fiddle to him.”

“ I said, Shut UP!” Jeff charged the circle, coming almost nose to nose with Jensen. “You don’t know anything! You’re just a sacrificial lamb waiting to be bled. You don’t understand power!”

“I may not understand power, but I know this!” Jensen hurled the knife, shouting the words Mackenzie told him to say. “FINI MAL LA!” 

The knife pierced the wards and embedded itself into Jeff’s chest. Jeff screamed in pain and fury. He tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge. 

“How...how..” Jeff gasped. “You’re not a practitioner. You shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

“Guess it just comes naturally,” Jensen replied as the wards dissolved. He grabbed Jeff, getting his handcuffs out. Before he could do it, Jared spoke up.

“Fini mal la. Evil is banished and his supplicants ended. Mighty Hecate, take your Petitioners to the Underworld from whence they came.” Jared tossed some herbs into a brass bowl and lit it on fire.

Steam emanated from Jeff’s body, his face contorted into a rictus of pain. Blood began to spill from his mouth and eyes, dripping down his body to the floor. A hazy mist started to envelope him and Jensen swore he saw a female figure appear. The mist engulfed Jeff, making him scream louder. It dissipated, leaving his corpse on the ground, pale and bloody.

Jensen took a deep breath. It was over. He wondered what he was going to tell Detective Willams. He turned to Jared and started to ask him a question when Jared backhanded him across the room.

Jensen’s body hit the wall so hard that he lost consciousness for a moment. As he came to he felt Jared strip him of both his Colt and the knife in his boot, tossing them in a corner. “Jared, what the hell are you doing?”

“Jeff was right,” Jared replied. “You are a conduit for power.” Jared wrestled Jensen into a standing position and started dragging him over to the platform where Mackenzie’s body lay. “And the power feels good.” 

Jensen shuddered as Jared caressed his cheek. This was not the Jared he’d met and had sex with. This Jared was cold and demanding. 

Jensen twisted away from Jared and scrambled toward his weapons. Jared grabbed him by the leg and they both tumbled to the floor. They traded punches, each one getting the upper hand then losing it as they wrestled for dominance.

Jared had Jensen by the neck, choking him. As Jensen flailed, his hand hit Jeff’s body. If he could just get closer, he could get the knife still lodged in Jeff’s chest and pull it free. Jensen took a chance and threw a right hook, loosening Jared’s hold on his neck. He rolled over and felt for the knife, pulling on it once he grabbed the handle.

He needed to shake Jared from the control of power he was in. Fuzzily, he remembered the words Jared had used during the seremoni rayisab yu. Scrambling to stand, he sliced his palm massaging it to get the blood flowing. “Blessed in ritual, blessed in spirit, blessed in blood,” he intoned. Repeating that, he felt his skin warm just like it had during the ritual.

Now all Jensen had to do was cut Jared. He charged Jared, hoping his plan of action was going to work. Jared dodged him and they circled each other. 

“C’mon, Jensen. Just give in,” Jared crooned. “Just give me the power, I need it.”

Taking a deep breath, Jensen stepped into Jared’s grasp and turned. As he hoped, Jared wrapped his arms around Jensen and lifted him up. Quick as lightning, Jensen slid the knife over Jared’s forearm, making a shallow cut that welled up.

He slapped his hand down on Jared’s cut and repeated the words of the ritual, praying that the magic would sooth the power coursing in Jared’s body.

With a shout, Jared threw Jensen to the ground and fell down beside him. Jared writhed and cried out in agony. Jensen pulled him closer and held Jared as he shuddered, murmuring, “It’s okay, you’re gonna be okay,” over and over.

Eventually Jared stilled, his body covered in sweat. “Jensen?” he croaked. 

“I’m here.” Jensen replied.

“What happened?” Jared looked at him. “I remember coming into the room and fighting with Jeff, then nothing.”

“Jeff tapped into the power and mesmerized you, is my best guess.” Jensen told him. “He convinced you that sacrificing me was a good idea.”

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry.” Slowly Jared stood, leaning on Jensen as his legs almost collapsed under him. “I would never do that to you, Jensen.”

“I know.” Jensen led him over to lean against a wall. “It was a mix of Jeff and the power coursing through your body.”

“What happened next?” Jared motioned to Jeff’s body. “Did I do that?”

“Actually, we both did,” Jensen chuckled dryly. “I stabbed him and you called up somebody named Hecate and she finished the job.”

Jared sighed. “Hecate was who he called up to begin with. I probably thought it seemed fitting.” He rubbed his head. “My head hurts; so does my face.”

“Well, there was some physical altercations between you, Jeff, and me.” Jensen wiggled his jaw. “You got me good in a few places.”

Jared smiled at Jensen, then winced. “Ow.” Jenses saw his attention move from him to Mackenzie. “Oh god, Jensen. We were too late. I’m so sorry.” Jared stepped away from the wall and knelt down beside Mackenzie. He wiped some of the blood from her face and closed her eyes. Jensen heard him say a prayer. Somehow it eased Jensen’s heartache a little.

They stayed in that position for a while, absorbing the events that had occurred.

Later, the police were called. Detective Williams took their statements, intuiting things that were not said. It was agreed that Jeff had murdered Mackenzie and that Jensen had killed him in self defense. 

Hours later, they were back at Jared’s house. Jared had offered Jensen a beer, but he said no. He headed to the guest room and started packing up his duffle. He had to get out of Jared’s house. Now that the drama was over, he felt angry and overwhelmed by what had transpired. He had to get away.

Jared followed him. “Jensen, what are you doing?”

Jensen looked over at him. “I’m packing.” 

“Why? You can stay here until they release Mackenzie’s body to you.”

Jensen paused putting a shirt in the bag. “No I can’t, Jared.” 

“Why not?” Jared looked confused.

“Do I need to spell it out for you?” Jensen faced Jared, a firm set to his Jaw. If he didn’t go now, he would never leave. Despite his roiling emotions, he couldn't deny the attraction he felt toward Jared.

“Obviously so, because I have no idea what’s going on.” Jared sat down on the bed.

Jensen sighed. “Jared, you almost sacrificed me for magic.”

“I said I was sorry…” Jared began, but Jensen cut him off.

“And I accepted your apology. But how do I know you won’t do it again?” Jensen shook his head. “Your magic will always be there. What if one day you decide you want more?”

“I won’t,” Jared replied vehemently. “I care about you, Jensen.”

“Do you?” Jensen walked to the bathroom and gathered his toiletries. “Honestly?”

“Yes.” Jared stood in the doorway. “Of course I do.”

Jensen brushed past him and returned to the bed. “How do I know that? Maybe you’re just keeping me around.” He tucked everything into his duffle. “And how do I know how I feel about you? Is it real? Is it just from another mark you put on me again? How do I know for sure?”

Jensen zipped up his duffle and picked it up. “I can’t be with someone with all that uncertainty. I’ll be staying at a hotel until they release Mackenzie’s body to me. Don’t call.” 

He left Jared sitting on the bed and quietly closed the door.


	8. Chapter 8

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/theatregirl7299/51658155/9025/9025_original.jpg)

Rain dripped from scattered storms, making the New York City streets glisten like steel, reflecting the dark clouds in the gray sky. The temperature was chilly, which made everything else even gloomier. The storms had washed the leaves from the trees, leaving the stark branches looking skeletal against the wet brownstones.

Nobody was out unless they had to be. The wind was picking up that chill that happens when fall slides into winter and your bones brace against the cold.

Jensen was one of the unlucky few who had to be out in theunpleasant weather. He had a client that insisted on meeting in person to get the results of the affair she was convinced her husband was having. She had deflated when he’d told her that her husband was learning to waltz so he could surprise her on their 50th wedding anniversary. Quietly, she’d given him the check and left the restaurant. After she’d gone, he’d ordered a bowl of beef stew and a beer.

His phone rang as he was eating. Looking at the caller ID, he saw it was Jared. He clicked the ignore button and put the phone back into his pocket. Sighing, he finished his beer, threw some money on the table and headed outside. Tightening the scarf around his neck, he buttoned his coat and started walking home.

As the wind blew the leaves in a swirling pattern around his feet, he thought about Jared. It was his usual behavior. Get a call, ignore it, and think about Jared. Jensen hadn’t spoken to him since he left New Orleans. It hurt too much to even consider communicating with Jared in any way. He was ignoring Jared’s texts and calls. At first they were multiple times a day, then they dropped down to every other day. Now it was maybe once a week.

He had the feeling that Jared was using some sort of locating spell to keep tabs on him. He wouldn’t put it past him. Frankly he didn’t care. It’s not like Jensen was going anywhere. It was work and home with the occasional outing with friends. But those were few and far between, too.

Like tonight. Carlos had been nagging him to come over and have dinner, but Jensen always found a way to beg off. So here he was, walking home in the cold.

His apartment was no better in the cheer department. The greys and blues that he had liked so well, that Mac had helped him initially pick out, were reflective of his mood--dark and shadowed. The only things that made the darkness fade was the research into magic that he found himself doing.

He let himself in with his key, kicked off his shoes and hung up his coat and scarf. Another drink, this time whiskey, and he sat on his couch with the TV volume down low. 

Mac’s urn was on the bookcase off to the side. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to scatter her ashes yet. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to do it here in New York. It just didn’t seem right. She needed to be back in New Orleans, but there was no way he was going back. 

Jensen sighed and finished his whiskey. Tomorrow was another day. He headed to his bedroom and got ready for bed. If he was lucky, maybe he wouldn’t dream tonight.

“Jensen! It’s about damn time.” Carlos opened the door with a smile on his face. Jensen had finally given in and said yes to dinner at the Mendoza house. “Come in, come in.”

Jensen smiled as he entered. Carlos’ house was always bustling. His wife, their kids, his Abuela – all seemed to be perpetually in motion. He handed Carlos a bottle of his favorite tequila. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Nope, just sit with me while we watch the kids. You know we can’t step foot in the kitchen while the ladies are cooking.”

“I wouldn’t even risk it,” Jensen replied with a smile. He’d made the mistake once about helping in the kitchen and gotten chased out with a wooden cooking spoon.

They spent a nice half hour watching Carlo’s infant daughter scoot across the floor trying to chase the cat and talking about how the New York Jets were doing this season.

And of course the dinner was perfect. Jensen ate until he was so full he couldn’t move. He complimented Carlos’ wife Sophia on the meal and was sent back into the living room with a cup of Café de Olia and a tequila.

He sipped the coffee and enjoyed the rich, earthy flavor. No one made it quite like Sophia and Jensen remembered when Carlos would bring him thermosfulls of it when they were partners. He smiled sadly to himself that those days were in the past.

“Memories, si?” Jensen was startled when Carlos’ Abuela spoke. She sat down next to him and took a sip of her tequila. “They remind us of happier days.”

“Yeah, they do.” He smiled down at the petite woman. He always liked her sense of humor. “Just thinking about when we’d have this coffee on stakeouts.”

She chuckled. “Carlos always made sure he brought some for you.” Jensen saw her tilt her head and regard him in an unusual way. She took the mug from his hand and placed it on the coffee table and took his hands between hers. “You miss him.”

“Who, Carlos?” Jensen was confused. He saw Carlos almost every day.

“No. Your young man from the South.” She spoke matter of factly. “The one you met when you looked for your sister. With the tattoo of the Loa. You miss him.”

Jensen was shocked at the abrupt change of topic. He’d not mentioned Jared to Carlos so there was no way his Abuela would have heard about it.

“Umm…” He started, but she waved him silent.

“It is in your soul. The longing.” She patted his chest. “Your heart is sad. You miss him,” she said a third time.

Jensen could only stare at her in disbelief. Her words hit deep. “It’s complicated.”

She shushed him. “Only if you make it so. Here you are grey.” She motioned around the room. “There….there you are shining.”

Jensen thought about her words and realized she was right. Everything here in New York was grey for him. New Orleans--and Jared--offered a spark, a brightness that he’d been missing.

“Your Mackenzie wants you to be happy.” Abuela continued. “She says you have a choice. To be safe and boring or to reach for love, with all of its risk and its joy.”

The thought of Mackenzie brought tears to his eyes. He could hear her saying that. _Jensen, don’t be boring…be happy!_. He wiped his eyes and smiled at the old woman. “So what do you think I should do?” He asked.

She grinned cheekily at him. “Your man is beautiful, yes?” Jensen nodded.  
“He is sexy?” Jensen blushed and laughed.

“Yes, very.”

“Then what is the question?” She rose and kissed him on the cheek. “He misses you too.” She headed into the kitchen calling out in Mexican to Sophia asking if the flan was ready.

An hour later Jensen was putting his coat on to leave. Carlos walked him to the door. “Hey, man, it was good to see you. We need to do this more often.”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan.” Jensen buttoned up his coat and wrapped his scarf around his neck. “So…um…I have a question.”

“Shoot.” Carlos leaned against the door frame.

“Your Abuela…” he began and Carlos groaned.

“Oh god, what did she do now?”

“She didn’t do anything,” Jensen replied. “It’s what she said.”

Carlos smirked. “Freaked you out, did she?”

“Yeah. Talked to me about something I haven’t told anyone about.”

Carlos chuckled. “Oh yeah, my Abuela is freaky. Back in our village in Mexico they called her ‘La Bruja Loca’. You know, ‘Crazy Witch’. Can’t say they were wrong. I’ve seen her do some really wild shit. Magic stuff, you know?”

“You believe in that?” Jensen asked.

“Can’t help not to,” Carlos replied. “She’s almost always right. Whatever she said to you, you should take her advice. You’ll be better off in the long run.” 

“Huh.” Jensen considered Carlos’ words as he said goodbye and headed home.

Once he was comfortable back in his apartment, he kept thinking of Jared and what Carlos’ Abuela had said to him. As he mulled it over, he had an overwhelming desire to talk to Jared. To see what he was doing. 

Chalking it up to his conversation from earlier, Jensen pushed it down and went to make himself some Irish hot chocolate.

Sipping his drink, Jensen sat down on the couch. He was slowly getting comfortable and sleepy as the thoughts of Jared welled up again, this time even more intense.

Jensen was not sure what prompted him to do it, but he looked up scrying on his phone and found a scrying spell that was used with candles. He got up, gathered several candles and placed them on the coffee table. After lighting them, he gazed into them and repeated the simple words over and over like a mantra.

The flames unfocused as he was looking into them. The blurred fire combined to a ghostly image. It was Jared. He was lying on the couch in his living room with the lights off, candles providing the only illumination. The glow gave his skin a beautiful sheen, emphasizing the planes of his cheeks. He was shirtless, his torso gleaming. He was beautiful and Jensen couldn’t look away.

All the images from New Orleans flooded back. Jared laughing, touching him, kissing him, their skin sliding against each other as they fucked. Magic surrounding them, with Jared full of power, his eyes glowing. Jared wanting him.

Jensen shook his head and the images disappeared, leaving only the candles standing on Jensen’s coffee table. Jensen sighed. The spell may be broken, but it confirmed the words that he’d heard tonight. He needed to go back to New Orleans.

“Okay, remember, assignments are due Monday and don’t forget to read chapters five and six.” Jared’s voice rang out in the auditorium. “I’ll have reduced office hours next week so add that to your calendars. Have a good day.”

Jensen watched from the shadows at the top of the classroom as students gathered their notebooks and began to leave. 

Jared looked wonderful. Dressed in a dark pair of Jeans, a Henley, and a blazer, he was the epitome of associate professor. A few students stopped by his podium to ask questions and Jared answered them with a smile and hand gestures.

Soon the room was empty and Jared was packing up his briefcase. Jensen turned to go when Jared spoke. “I can see you up there, Jensen. The room isn’t as dark as you think it is.”

Blushing, Jensen turned back to see Jared looking up at him with a small smile. Knowing he was caught, he started down the steps. “Jared.”

“Jensen.” Jared replied, his hand on his briefcase.

“How are you?” Jensen didn’t know what else to say. _I missed you. I still want you. I think I love you._. They all were so electrifying.

“Do you really want to know?” Jared picked up his briefcase and started out the door, gesturing for Jensen to follow him.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Jensen retorted. “Sorry, sorry, that wasn’t nice. Yes, I really want to know how you’re doing.”

“Well, I could be a bastard and say you could have learned way earlier if you had just picked up your phone or read a text, but I don’t want to rehash all that.” Jared stopped in the hallway. “So I’m just going to cut to the chase. I’m well and I miss you.”

Jensen’s heart swelled. “I miss you too. I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls or texts. I just had a lot to think about.”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t hold it against you.” Jared replied. “Why are you here, Jensen?”

Jensen took a deep breath. “I brought Mackenzie back. I decided she needed to be part of New Orleans. I haven’t set up a time yet, but I plan on contacting the University to see if I can hold a memorial service here.”

“That would be nice. I know her friends would like it,” Jared said. “You know they set up a scholarship in Mackenzie’s name to honor her.”

“I didn’t. That’s wonderful. Thank you.” They started to walk again, silently this time. “Jared, there’s something else. I’m…I’m not happy in New York. Not any more.”

“Okay…and?” Jared moved closer to Jensen as they walked and Jensen could feel the heat that Jared was always radiating off him.

“And I’m taking a leap of faith here, but I want for us to, I don’t know, _be_ together.”

Jared stopped walking and Jense felt his gaze cut through him.

“I still practice magic, Jensen. Some kinds you don’t like. I’m not going to stop.” Jared sounded firm and Jensen knew he had to convince him that that wasn’t going to be a deal breaker again.

“I know. And I can’t guarantee that I’ll like it right off the bat. But I’ve been reading and thinking and I’d rather deal with it in person than not deal with it at all. Plus,” he said with a smile. “I’ve kind of been practicing myself a little bit.”

“Oh, really?” Jensen saw Jared grin and raise an eyebrow. “You have?”

“Yeah. Not big things. Just some kitchen witchery as you’d call it and some scrying.” Jensen grinned back. “And I kind of actually like it. Makes me feel peaceful.”

“So you willing to share what you’ve learned?” Jared asked.

“How about I tell you over a cup of coffee,” Jensen replied. He smiled at Jared, who smiled back. He held out his hand to Jared who took it and squeezed it.

Slowly they walked towards the café. Who knew where it might lead, but it was a start.

[ ](https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/theatregirl7299/51658155/4650/4650_original.jpg)


End file.
